.jpg)
Kim Clijsters will play Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open 2012 semi-finals.
Kim Clijsters plays Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final of the Australian Open 2012.
Both players, Clijsters and Azarenka had to overcome some really warm conditions in Melbourne to reach the last-four stage.
The defending champion Clijsters overcame a sudden loss of form in the second set to defeat top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 in the quarter-finals. Azarenka lost a first set tie-breaker before mounting a comeback against Agnieszka Radwanska in another quarter-final to make it to the semi-finals.
Earlier, Clijsters needed three sets to overcome Li Na, after having taken out Maria Kohler, Stephanie Foretz Gacon and Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets in the first three matches.
Azarenka comes into the semi-final, with straight set wins all the way through to the previous match. She defeated Heather Watson in the first round, Casey Dellacqua in the second, Mona Barthel in the third and crushed Iveta Benesova in the last-16 to get to the quarter-finals.
Clijsters and Azarenka have never played each other in a Grand Slam tournament before, but have featured in six matches otherwise. Clijsters leads the head-to-head 4-2, but Azarenka had won their previous meeting at Miami in 2011.
The Clijsters v Azarenka Australian Open 2012 semi-final will be played on Thursday, January 26.
Bet & Watch on the Australian Open live online at bet365 > Live Streaming Tennis