Former world number one Kim Clijsters produced a masterful display to reach the semi-finals of the French Open at the expense of Martina Hingis on Tuesday.
Clijsters, who won 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, will face either fellow Belgian and defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in the last four.
HENIN-HARDENNE SEMIS: Two-time champion Justine Henin Hardenne moved closer to her third final as she defeated German Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5, 6-2 in a quarter-final match-up.
The fifth seed, who won the Roland Garros crown in 2003 and 2005, came through a first set littered with five breaks of serve.
KUZENTSOVA THROUGH: Svetlana Kuznetsova became the first woman to qualify for the semi-finals as she ousted compatriot Dinara Safina 7-6 (7/5), 6-0.
The eighth-seeded Russian will face Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova in the last four.
VAIDISOVA ADVANCES: Nicole Vaidisova stormed back to reach the first Grand Slam quarter-final of her career with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Venus Williams.
The 17-year-old Czech suffered in the early stages losing 4-1 leads in both the set and the ensuing tiebreaker.
But she swept the second to claw back against the 11th-seeded American, then broke for 3-2 in the third on a Williams double-fault on her way to victory.
Vaidisova, who put out top seed Amelie Mauresmo in the fourth round, faces Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-finals.
VAIDISOVA ADVANCES: Nicole Vaidisova stormed back to reach the first Grand Slam quarter-final of her career with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Venus Williams.
The 17-year-old Czech suffered in the early stages losing 4-1 leads in both the set and the ensuing tiebreaker. But she swept the second to claw back against the 11th-seeded American, then broke for 3-2 in the third on a Williams double-fault on her way to victory.
Vaidisova, who put out top seed Amelie Mauresmo in the fourth round, faces Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-finals.
Clijsters spurred on by a French crowd that seemed mostly behind her, raced into a 5-2 first set lead after breaking two of Hingis's first three service games. But the Swiss Miss, bidding to claim the only Grand Slam title missing from her collection, hit back in fine style to force the tie-break.
Hingis, the 12th seed, struggled to match Clijsters's power from the back court and was often pushed too deep behind the baseline to use the delicate touches that were her hallmark before she retired sensationally at just 21 years if age.
But having dragged herself back into contention, Hingis suffered a shattering blow in the tie-break, losing 7/5 and from there the wind seemed to be blown out of her sails. Clijsters, the second seed, broke early in the second set and then dominated with powerful groundstrokes and her remarkable athleticism that allowed her to reach many balls that seemed destined to be winners.
It was a repeat of the pair's quarter-final meeting at the Australian Open earlier this year which US Open champion Clijsters also won as Hingis made her return following a three-year break after injury.
The Belgian is now one step away from reaching her third Paris final.
Three years ago when she reached the final only to be beaten by Henin-Hardene, in 2001 she finished runner-up to American Jennifer Capriati.
She will also be spurred on by the added motivation that she can regain the world number one spot from France's Amelie Mauresmo if she does reach the final here.
For Hingis, it was a disappointing performance after her victory in Rome last month where she seemed to have finally come to terms with the dirt surface.
Now, though, she will have to wait another year at least before she can complete her own personal Grand Slam and claim the one major that continues to elude her.
MONDAY'S RESULTS (x denotes seeding):
WOMEN QUARTER-FINALS: Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x8) bt Dinara Safina (RUS x14) 7-6 (7/5), 6-0; Nicole Vaidisova (CZE x16) bt Venus Williams (USA x11) 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3; Kim Clijsters (BEL x2) bt Martina Hingis (SUI x12) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1; Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL x5) bt Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER x13) 7-5, 6-2.
MEN DOUBLES: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA x1) bt Julien Benneteau/Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-3, 6-1.
MIXED DOUBLES: Vera Zvonareva/Andy Ram (RUS/ISR) bt Rennae Stubbs/Todd Perry (AUS x5) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.
MONDAY'S COLLATED RESULTS (x denotes seeding):
MEN'S SINGLES FOURTH ROUND: Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Alberto Martin (ESP) 5-1 - retired; Ivan Ljubicic (CRO x4) bt Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x14) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Novak Djokovic (SEM) bt Gael Monfils (FRA x25) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
WOMEN'S SINGLES FOURTH ROUND: Martina Hingis (SUI x12) bt Shahar Peer (ISR x31) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
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