Kim Clijsters secures place in Sydney final

Clijsters will play Li Na of China, who beat Bojana Jovanovski 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

"If she plays like that, I think she's definitely a contender to beat a lot of top players," Clijsters said of Kleybanova's chances at the Australian Open. "I think she is definitely a player who's a very tough outsider and can make it very tough for a lot of the players."

In the men's tournament, Gilles Simon advanced to the semi-finals by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3. Simon's victory set up a meeting with third-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who beat Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.

Simon and Dolgopolov both earned their places in the quarter-finals after completing rain-delayed first round matches on Wednesday morning, then returning to the court for second round matches in the afternoon. The tough schedule fully tested Simon's gradual recovery from injuries that blighted his 2010. Simon, who was once ranked No 6 in the world but is now down at No 41, said: "I hope to reach top 30 or top 20 really as soon as possible because I know it will be better with the draws and everything."