Clijsters Blows Into WTA Hasselt Semis

HASSELT, Belgium -- World No.6 and home favorite Kim Clijsters needed just 36 minutes to reach the final four at the $175,000 Open Gaz de France Stars. In fact, she allowed her opponent only 12 points in the whole match.

Clijsters, making her return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour after being sidelined with a wrist injury for 10 weeks, dropped just one game in her 61 60 win over No.119-ranked Sandra Kloesel.

"I was seeing the ball and moving a lot better," Clijsters said. "I was doing those things for a few games here and there in previous matches this week but today, I played well throughout the whole two sets."

The former world No.1 may have a tougher task in Saturday's semi against No.6 seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, who ousted qualifier Aravane Rezai, 76(5) 62, in Friday's last match.

Zvonareva has been playing well these past few weeks, reaching the quarters in her last three events and now the semis this week. But Clijsters is poised to defend her title on home soil and is now only two wins away from achieving that feat.

Last year, Clijsters defeated Francesca Schiavone in the Hasselt final. This year, Schiavone, the No.2 seed, won't be a factor in the final as she was upset by a qualifier, Kaia Kanepi, 62 75 in Friday's first quarterfinal.

The quarterfinal between Kanepi and Schiavone was a rematch of their first-round match at this event last year, when Schiavone won 63 64. This time around, it was Kanepi who had the upper hand.

Schiavone took a 2-0 lead in the first set but was hampered by knee problems and lost the next six games and the set. She called for a Tour primary health care provider after the first set and played better in the second set, which could have gone either way with both players trading service breaks and holds. But up 6-5, Kanepi broke the Italian to secure the win. The 21-year-old Estonian is through to her second Tour semifinal of the year and third of her career.

In Saturday's first semi, Kanepi will face another seed-stunner -- Michaella Krajicek, who followed Kanepi's suit and upset No.3 seed Ana Ivanovic 63 64.

The No.14-ranked Ivanovic could never find her rhythm and was playing catch-up against a steadier Krajicek. After an error-filled first set for Ivanovic, Krajicek looked to seal the win with a 5-1 lead in the second, but Ivanovic showed signs of a comeback, bringing it to 5-4. The 18-year-old came up short though when Krajicek served for the match and sealed the win with an ace.

Krajicek will contest her fifth Tour semifinal of the year, after winning two titles at Hobart and in her home country at 's-Hertogenbosch.

Semifinal action starts on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time.
-- WTA