She beat Venus Williams, now comeback-queen and former No. 1 Kim Clijsters will face younger sister Serena Williams in the semifinals of the US Open after dispatching of No. 18-seeded Na Li of China 6-2, 6-4.

Serena advanced into the semis with a routine 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 10 seed Flavia Pennetta.

Clijsters’ says her big-match experience and veteran tour savvy has helped her during the fortnight in New York, and will help with the younger Williams sister in the next round.

“I have a really good feeling the way I stayed focused after the Venus match,” Clijsters said. “Like I didn’t lose focus just by everything that was going on around me and so much more attention that happened. I think that’s something that I learned from the past, that experience that I have when you beat big players not to get carried away and just refocus on a match like today.”

Na banged away without a plan against Clijsters in typical WTA Tour fashion. Even though she lost easily after defeating the Belgian in their last meeting, Na seemingly shrugged off the result to fate.

“Actually, I’m not thinking that I can lose like easy like today, because last time meeting I beat her,” said Na in her challenged English, “Feeling I can do much better today, but, I mean, you never know. Maybe it’s day for her, not for me.”

Looking to join the two in the semifinals in Wednesday play will be an all-unseeded meeting with Belgian Yanina Wickmayer vs. the Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko, and in the much-anticipated first night match at 7 p.m. EST, new American sweetheart Melanie Oudin vs. No. 9-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 9:33 pm and is filed under Tennis.
Tags: Caroline Wozniacki, Flavia Pennetta, Kim Clijsters, Melanie Oudin, Serena Williams, US Open, Yanina Wickmayer