Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters advanced to the semifinals of the Brisbane International with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Iveta Benesova Thursday. Clijsters won the Brisbane title in 2010 and, after missing the 2011 edition, now has an 8-0 record in the Australian Open tuneup. Clijsters had a tough three-set win over Ana Ivanovic in the second round but didn't let Benesova get too close in the quarterfinals and earned a semifinal meeting against Daniela Hantuchova. “I'm very satisfied with the way that I played,” Clijsters said. “In my previous match I lost my focus a bit. I was really focussed on not letting that happen today.” Third-seeded Francesca Schiavone will meet Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the other women's semifinal. Schiavone saved two match points before coming back for a 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic. The 2010 French Open winner saved match points on her serve in the 12th game of the second set and then, after winning the tiebreaker and going down a break in the third set, won the last five games to clinch a quarterfinal berth in just under three hours on her third match point. Kanepi needed five match points to finish off a 6-1, 7-6 (7) win over second-seeded Andrea Petkovic. In the men's draw, second-seeded Gilles Simon of France advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Santiago Giraldo of Colombia. Simon will next play third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov, who rallied to beat sixth-seeded Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Kuznetsova in last 4 In Auckland, former world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova cemented her Auckland Classic title credentials with an effortless 6-4 6-3 victory over Italy's Sara Errani in the quarterfinals Thursday. Kuznetsova's potential march to the title was also made easier when top seed Sabine Lisicki was forced out of the tournament with an abdominal injury suffered during her quarterfinal against fellow German Angelique Kerber. Kerber will meet fourth seed Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals after the Italian easily accounted for Russia's Elena Vesnina in the first match Thursday, romping to a 6-2 6-1 victory in 68 minutes. China's Zheng also seemed to waste little effort in overcoming Lucie Hradecka 6-2 6-3 in an hour.
