Mauresmo, Clijsters Highlight Antwerp Semis

ANTWERP, Belgium - Two-time defending champion and top seed Amelie Mauresmo is just two wins away from the coveted Proximus Diamond Games' diamond-studded racquet, which is given to a player who wins three singles titles at the $600,000 event in the span of five years.

In Friday's quarterfinals, the 2005 and 2006 Proximus Diamond Games champion made quick work of No.11-ranked Dinara Safina, winning 61 63 in one hour, 11 minutes. After taking the first set easily, Safina stepped up her game. But it wasn't enough and Mauresmo broke the Russian twice to secure the win. Mauresmo's efforts against Safina were an improvement from her opening match on Thursday against compatriot Virginie Razzano, who stretched the world No.3 to almost two hours before falling 76(6) 75.

Mauresmo has now reached the semifinals or better in all four appearances at the Proximus Diamond Games, including this year. Since losing in the semis in 2002, she is 10-0 at Antwerp, including her wins earlier this week.

She now faces another young Russian, 19-year-old Anna Chakvetadze, in a repeat of last week's Paris [Indoors] quarterfinals. Playing at Antwerp for only the second time, Chakvetadze has started her 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season strong, winning her first event at Hobart and reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open. Last week in Paris, she lost a tight match to Mauresmo, 76(5) 75, but now has a chance for revenge in this week's semis.

In getting to the final four, Chakvetadze extended her win-streak against compatriot and No.7-ranked Nadia Petrova to 4-0 by winning 63 64. Petrova, who was on a 5-0 win-streak after winning last week's Paris [Indoors] title, was clearly frustrated by her inability to break Chakvetadze's rhythm. In the second set, Petrova took a 3-1 lead but allowed Chakvetadze back into the match. At 5-4, Petrova couldn't hold serve, and Chakvetadze took the win.

Possible 2006 Singles Final Repeat

In the bottom half of the draw, Belgian favorite and No.2 seed Kim Clijsters took her spot in the final four with a 62 61 win over Ana Ivanovic. Clijsters was almost perfect, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set before No.14-ranked Ivanovic managed to take two games off the world No.4. The second set was almost identical, with Clijsters taking a 5-0 lead but only giving up one game and eventually taking the match in less than an hour.

Clijsters was last year's singles runner-up, and with both Clijsters and Mauresmo in the semifinals in opposite sides of the draw, there is a possibility of a 2006 singles final repeat.

But there's still one round until the final, and Clijsters must face 19-year-old Tatiana Golovin next. Golovin played the last match on Friday and ousted Russia's Elena Likhovtseva, 76(3) 75, in one hour, 51 minutes. The No.20-ranked Frenchwoman is now through to her first semifinal of 2007.

Saturday's semifinal action starts at 1 p.m. local time with Mauresmo against Chakvetadze followed by doubles action. This year's Australian Open doubles champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber will face Janette Husarova and Kveta Peschke. The night session begins at 7:30 p.m. with the second singles semifinal, Golovin versus Clijsters, followed by doubles team Elena Likhovtseva and Elena Vesnina facing Nathalie Dechy and Vera Zvonareva. (WTA)