Defending champion Martina Hingis stayed on track for her second straight Sydney International women's singles title with an easy 6-4, 6-2 win over seventh-seed Sandrine Testud today.
Hingis took just 70 minutes to beat Testud. She will now play third-seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium - who beat her compatriot Justine Henin 7-,(7/5), 6-2 - in tomorrow’s semi-finals.
Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States ended the giant-killing run of US qualifier Alexandra Stevenson with a 6-4, 6-1 quarter-final triumph. Stevenson beat Jennifer Capriati in the previous round.
Shaughnessy now plays fourth-seeded Serena Williams in the final four.
Frenchman Nicolas Escude withdrew from the quarter-finals of the men's singles with a groin injury, but second-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and Max Mirnyi of Belarus both advanced.
Federer struggled to a 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Marcelo Rios of Chile.
Max Mirnyi outplayed Frenchman Julien Boutter 6-4, 6-2 in 75 minutes and now faces Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina - ensuring an unseeded player will make the men's final.
AFP