NASDAQ-100 Open: Clijsters to face Mauresmo

Florida:

Kim Clijsters' comeback from injury continued on Wednesday, as she knocked number four seed Elena Dementieva out of the NASDAQ-100 Open. This is only the third tournament that Clijsters has competed in since returning from a wrist injury that forced her to miss most of the 2004 season. But the Belgian reached the quarter-finals on her return in Antwerp, Belgium, where she lost to Venus Williams, and went on to beat Lindsay Davenport in the final of Indian Wells shortly after.

Impressive comeback Clijsters, unseeded in Florida, continued her impressive comeback against number four seed Dementieva, taking the first set 6-2 without too much opposition. The second set was an even more straightforward affair for Clijsters, who wrapped up a 6-2, 6-1 victory in less than an hour. So the women's semi-finals schedule is complete--Maria Sharapova faces Venus Williams, while Clijsters will meet Mauresmo. Clijsters has now won 14 of the 15 matches that she has competed in this year and the former world number one believes that her rehabilitation couldn't be going any better. Great effect The men's quarter-finals continued on Wednesday, with Spain's Rafael Nadal looking to set up a last four encounter with his compatriot David Ferrer. The hard hitting 18-year-old faced number 25 seed Thomas Johansson and used his booming forehand to great effect in a first set that he won 6-2. Johansson struggled to cope with the number 29 seed's groundstrokes and eventually succumbed to a 6-2, 6-4 defeat. Nadal, who became the youngest ever semi-finalist in Key Biscayne, joins Ferrer in a last four line-up that will be completed after Thursday's two remaining quarter-finals. Top seed Roger Federer takes on Tim Henman, while six-time Key Biscayne champion Andre Agassi will face fellow American Taylor Dent. (AP)