Kim Clijsters ended Martina Hingis' dream return to grand slam tennis with a 6-3 2-6 6-4 Australian Open quarter-final win that guarantees she will regain the world number one ranking.
Clijsters started strongly and eventually overpowered the former world number one, who was playing her first grand slam in four years after injury forced a premature retirement.
The Belgian will play third seed Amelie Mauresmo in the semi-finals.
Three-times Australian champion Hingis struggled to hold serve early and saved two match points before Clijsters, showing no sign of the hip and back injury that threatened to derail her campaign, held serve to close out the match after 102 minutes.
US Open champion Clijsters, beaten for the title by Justine Henin-Hardenne in the 2004 final, will return to the number one spot after eighth seed Henin-Hardenne toppled incumbent Lindsay Davenport in the quarters.
Earlier, third seed Mauresmo stormed into the semi-finals after a 6-3 6-0 victory over seventh seed Patty Schnyder.
The 26-year-old out-slugged her Swiss opponent from the baseline and never allowed her to settle in the quarter-final match on centre court at Rod Laver Arena.
The Frenchwoman attacked Schnyder's service game, with the Swiss unable to stamp any sort of authority on the match, and was broken six times, three times in each set.
