Hingis Ousts Serena Williams at Aussie Open

M E L B O U R N E, Australia, Jan. 24 -- Serena Williams couldn’t beat doggedretriever Martina Hingis despite a 4-1 lead in the final set. Nowit is sister Venus’ turn to try.

Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Olympic champion Venus almost didn't doher part to reach the Australian Open semifinals. She sprayed 56errors before surviving a late service break and beating No. 10Amanda Coetzer 2-6, 6-1, 8-6 today.

Then the top-seeded Hingis spoiled a sibling semifinal byrallying for a 6-2, 3-6, 8-6 victory over Serena, who had 54 errors— 29 of them in the final set.

"I was able to keep going and going until she would miss,"Hingis said.

Before going out to play doubles an hour after her singles,Serena sent word that she had not eaten anything but toast for twodays because of food poisoning. She and Venus then beat AnnaKournikova and Barbara Schett 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 to advance to asemifinal against Hingis and Monica Seles. In an Australian Openwarmup tournament, Hingis and Seles beat the Williams sisters.

Serena said later that "some pink stuff" the trainer gave herafter her first set of singles helped her recover by the third setfrom a dizzy feeling and to get her feet moving. After the doubles,she added, "I could play another match."

Clement Downs Kafelnikov

The men's side will have the first all-French semifinal at aGrand Slam tournament since 1983, between No. 15 Arnaud Clement andNo. 16 Sebastien Grosjean. The winner becomes the first Frenchfinalist in an Australian Open since 1928.

Clement capitalized on 79 errors by No. 5 Yevgeny Kafelnikov fora 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory, and celebrated by throwinghis shirt and shoes into the crowd of nearly 15,000.

Kafelnikov hit an overhead into the net on match point, ending astellar run Down Under in which he won the Australian Open in 1999,was runner-up last year and won the Olympic gold medal.

"I can't believe it," said Clement, who has lost only one setin five matches here.

In his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Grosjean, conqueror offourth-seeded Magnus Norman, ended the run of former No. 1 CarlosMoya with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Moya, coming back from injury,had beaten another former No. 1, Marcelo Rios, and seventh-seededLleyton Hewitt.