Tennis

Clijsters reaches semis at Brisbane International

Published Jan. 5, 2012 10:58 a.m. ET

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Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters advanced to the semifinals of the Brisbane International with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Iveta Benesova on 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.

She raced to a 5-0 lead before Benesova, who ousted U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in the second round, launched a comeback with a run of three straight games.

Benesova got an early break to lead 2-0 in the second set before Clijsters shifted up a gear and won six straight games to earn a semifinal meeting against Daniela Hantuchova.

Third-seeded Francesca Schiavone will meet Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the other women's semifinal.

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