MELBOURNE, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Kim Clijsters reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open despite a dreadfully inconsistent display in beating Martina Hingis 3-6 6-4 6-3 here on Wednesday.

    The fourth seed was stunned in the opening set by Hingis, who cruised through with two service breaks.

    Clijsters fought back to level the scores but struggled throughout the match with 62 unforced errors.

    "When you're not seeing the ball the only thing you can do is fight and hopefully turn things around ... and I did," Clijsters said.

    "It definitely has to be better (against Sharapova).

    "I'll have to be sharp in the beginning of the match. She's an incredible athlete and fights for every point and she showed that today."

    Clijsters, who is playing her last Australian Open after announcing this will be her final season on the tour, had to come from a break down in the decider before coming through to earn a semi-final with Maria Sharapova.

    Sharapova will be chasing her second successive grand slam title after winning last year's US Open title.

    She also had to overcome a slow start from 2-4 down to win the opening set in 59 minutes and again was broken while serving for the match in the second set.

    Chakvetadze saved two match points before Sharapova clinched the match in the 12th game.

    "I was a little bit up and down, a bit scratchy and I'm definitely glad I got through," Sharapova said. "The next one's going to be even tougher."

    She had treatment by a trainer on a foot problem late in the second set but said it was not a concern.

    "It's just the heat, you normally get a few blisters but I cover them up and keep going," she said.