Clijsters hangs on to reach semi-finals

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) Kim Clijsters delayed writing the final chapter in her Australian Open memoirs by battling past Martina Hingis 3-6 6-4 6-3 to reach the semi-finals today.

The Belgian fourth seed, playing at Melbourne Park for the last time before retiring at the end of the season, appeared sluggish throughout the contest and produced an uncharacteristic 62 unforced errors.

She started the match with a double fault and surrendered the first set with a double fault but clung on for dear life to seal the match with a forehand down the line winner.

Clijsters reached her fifth Australian Open semi-final in her last five visits and will next face top seed Maria Sharapova.

REUTERS SAM BS1116