MOSCOW, August 15 (RIA Novosti) - World No. 1 Dinara Safina gave a brilliant display in her quarterfinal match to overcome an unseeded, but on form, Kim Clijsters from Belgium at the Western & Southern Financial Group Open in Cincinnati.
Former U.S. Open champion, Clijsters, 26, who has shown top form in her first tournament since breaking her tennis career to have a child two years ago, has beaten some top names this week, including Russia's own Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded six.
In a post-match interview the Russian, who came from behind after her opponent took an early lead to win 6:2, 7:5, said that despite the Belgian's unseeded ranking she approached the match as if Clijsters was ranked in the top ten.
"I took her like a Top 10 player. She's one of the best players. I just stayed aggressive and didn't let her dictate too much," Safina was cited by the WTA website as saying. "She beat Bartoli, who just won a tournament. She beat Svetlana, who has also been in good shape. I think she just needs a few tournaments to get the match rhythm again, and that's all."
Clijsters in turn said that she was pleased with her form and praised Safina.
"Dinara played some of the best tennis I've ever seen her play. It was by far the best she has played against me," Clijsters told journalists. "She hits the ball extremely deep and down the middle of the court. It's a very good tactic she's developed in the last few years and it's worked. It has put her in the best spot up there."
Safina will now face Italy's Flavia Pennata, seeded 14, in Saturday's semifinal.
The other semifinal will feature fourth-seed Elena Demetieva, who cruised past Caroline Wozniacki in the quarters 6:2, 6:1 to set up a semifinal encounter with Serbia's Jelena Janokovic, seeded fifth.
