Top seed Martina Hingis clambered back to beat Serena Williams 6-2 3-6 8-6 today and reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where she will play Venus Williams.
Serena led 4-1 in the final set and served for the match at 5-4 after breaking Hingis's serve three times in the set. But the American dropped serve herself as Hingis in turn staged a fightback, chasing down balls from all corners of the court.
Hingis then leveled with another break in the 10th game. Serena bravely fought off a match point against her serve, lunging at a volley in the 14th game but was unable to hold off Hingis again on the second match point.
Hingis, winner of the season-opening grand slam event from 1997-99, is bidding to reach the Australian Open final for the fifth consecutive year.
Serena appeared to be suffering from a stomach upset in the early stages and required courtside treatment several times after the first set. She beat Hingis to win the 1999 U.S. Open, and the pair's record now stands at 6-4 in Hingis's favour. - Reuters