New Delhi: Kim Clijsters has progressed to the semi-finals of the Australian Open beating Martina Hingis.
The Belgian has already announced her retirement and this is the last time that she is playing at Melbourne Park. She will now face Maria Sharapova in the semis.
Playing in her last Australian Open, Clijsters was up against friend and sixth seed Martina Hingis.
But Clijsters, who pounded her earlier opponents without losing a single set, was not at her best against Hingis.
The Swiss Miss, cheered on by her boyfriend Radek Stepanek, played a very smart game varying her shots and changing the pace of the game to take the first set 6-3.
The 4th seed then upped her game in the second set to take a 5-2 lead but Hingis fought back winning the next two games.
But Clijsters hung on to take the set 6-4. The third set began as a see-saw affair with both winning their service games before Clijsters forced the pace.
And within minutes closed out the match with a beautiful pass.
She will now meet Maria Sharapova for a place in final.
In the other quarter-final top-seeded Sharapova beat Anna Chakvetadze to reach the Australian Open semis for the third straight time.
Sharapova, seeking a third Grand Slam title, defeated her Russian opponent 7-6, 7-5.
Sharapova, a winner at Wimbledon and the US Open, has never reached the Australian Open final.
She recovered from 3-5 down in an error-strewn match after losing her serve on one of six double faults.
Neither Clijsters nor Sharapova have won the Australian Open.
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