Clijsters outclasses Russian seed

Second seed Kim Clijsters overcame an injury scare to outclass Russia’s Anastasia Myskina in straight sets and book an Australian Open semi-final clash with Patty Schnyder.

Clijsters, Australia’s favourite Belgian, took the first set comfortably and then defied a recurring ankle injury to hit back from two breaks down in the second and seal the match 6-2 7-6 (11/9).

‘Aussie Kim’ was trailing 4-0 in the second set when she tweaked her left ankle which had been a problem area for Clijsters since she injured it during the Hopman Cup three weeks ago.

The 20-year-old then withdrew from the adidas International and was uncertain until the last minute that she would be fit to even compete at the Australian Open.

Clijsters insisted it had not been bothering her as she powered her way through the draw, but after winning her first game of the second set she called a medical time-out, had the ankle examined, sprayed and re-strapped.

Faced with a lack of movement, Clijsters was attempting to finish the points quickly and with such precision in her powerful groundstrokes she hauled one break back immediately.

Myskina had been on top but has fragile confidence and began to throw looks of frustration at her coach as Clijsters defied her injury to keep the pressure on.

She broke again to level the match at 5-5 and then had five match points in the tiebreak, all of which Myskina defended resolutely before winning two set points of her own.

But Clijsters clung in there, earned a sixth and reached her third consecutive Australian Open semi-final.

“I started really well and was feeling really good,” she said.

“I had a little stumble in the beginning of second set and hurt my foot again a little bit. I had it taped very tight and that stopped me from hurting it even more but I was glad to finish it in two sets.

“She never does (give up). She is known on the tour as a fighter she showed that again today.”

Clijsters joked her coach Marc Dehous will have to practise left handed in preparation for the semi-final against Schnyder.

The Swiss 22nd seed, whose promising career hit the skids in 1999 when she took on a controversial new coach, reached the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time with a 7-6 (7/2) 6-3 win over Lisa Raymond.

The American had been serving for the first set at 6-5 but was broken to love and Schnyder took the tie-break emphatically.

Raymond could not repeat her heroics of the third round where she beat Venus Williams and went down in one hour 19 minutes.

“It is great, overwhelming,” said Schnyder.

“It’s enormous. I am so happy to be here and to play in the semis, It’s hard to describe.

“Kim is just very tough to beat. She is not missing, running down balls. It is very tough.

“I am happy to be here, come out again, play semis and give it the best I can.”

Schnyder was considered one of tennis’ brightest young stars when she broke through in the mid-1990s but after leaping 634 places in the rankings her progress stalled when she hired Rainer Harnecker.

The German faith healer, who became her boyfriend, advised her to break ties with her family and drink large quantities of orange juice.

Schnyder’s family then hired a former private eye who helped her break away from Harnecker’s unconventional regime.

The pair are now married but the 25-year-old from Wangen, Switzerland has no contact with her family.

“I am very happy with my husband. We married a month ago. Everything is fine. I am really enjoying tennis. I love the sport, coming out playing, especially the Grand Slams in front of the crowd.

“It’s very nice to have such a life.”