MELBOURNE, Australia — Martina Hingis will get another chance against Jennifer Capriati in a rematch of last year's Australian Open final.
Capriati, the defending champion, outlasted fourth-seeded Kim Clijsters 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 in Thursday's semifinals at Melbourne Park. Three-time winner Hingis advanced to her sixth consecutive Australian final when she rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Monica Seles.
Capriati's Australian win last year was the highlight of a phenomenal comeback for the former teen prodigy, who dropped off the tour during her tumultuous youth. She reached the French Open semifinals in 1990 at age 14 and won the Olympic gold medal in 1992.
Last year, she became the lowest-seeded player (12th) to win an Australian Open when she produced consecutive wins over Seles, 2000 Australian champion Lindsay Davenport and Hingis.
Capriati went on to win the French Open, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and held the No. 1 ranking for the first time.
In a men's semifinal later Thursday, No. 16 Thomas Johansson faced No. 26 Jiri Novak.
Hingis believes she has the upper hand for the rematch with Capriati.
"It will be great to play her in the finals. Now it's the other way around — she has to defend the title and I'm the rookie."
Capriati admitted that Hingis was in the unusual position as underdog.
"For the first time, going up against her, it's like I'm the one favored to win," Capriati said. "I know definitely how she feels, being in that position, because I was in that position last year. I know she wants it bad, but I want it bad, too."
Against Clijsters, Capriati was inconsistent as she split the opening two sets before dominating the third.
In their previous meeting, Capriati edged Clijsters 12-10 in the third set to win the 2001 French Open. The deciding set was the longest in a women's final at Roland Garros.
On Thursday, Capriati raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set with two service breaks before she twice lost her own serve. But the 25-year-old American got another break in the 11th game and then held serve.
She lost concentration in the second, when she made the bulk of her 37 unforced errors, and Clijsters used her powerful backhand to full effect to even the match at a set apiece.
The top-ranked Capriati won the final game at love on two backhand misses by Clijsters and two aces, including one on match point.