Hingis, Capriati set up repeat clash in Open final

Martina Hingis was one match away from breaking her grand slam barren spell after reaching the Australian Open final on Thursday, but to do so she will have to wreak revenge on her 2001 conqueror Jennifer Capriati.

Hingis, seeded third this year, marched into her sixth consecutive Melbourne Park final, blemishing Monica Seles's extraordinary Open record with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory.

In the men's singles, Swede Thomas Johansson later fought back from an alarming mid-match slump to beat Czech Jiri Novak 7-6, 0-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach his first grand slam final.

"This is like a dream come true for me," the 16th-seeded Swede told local television.

He will play either seventh seed Tommy Haas of Germany or Russian ninth seed Marat Safin in Sunday's championship decider. Haas and Safin meet in the second semifinal on Friday.

Defending women's champion Capriati fought off a mighty challenge from fourth seed Kim Clijsters 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to set up Saturday's repeat of last year's final.

"I had to lift something, Monica was playing so well just hitting winners. I was just trying to make her move whenever I could," said Hingis, who has not won a grand slam since the third of her successive Australian crowns in 1999.

"I believe in it now again," she said of her ability to win more grand slams. "I've played some great matches to get here and am looking forward to playing the final."

THIRD DEFEAT

The Swiss third seed's hard-earned victory was the first time in eight years of competing at the Open that she has won a match having lost the first set.

For Seles the loss was only her third defeat in 42 Australian Open matches.

Seles, who won the Australian title the first four times she entered, overpowered Hingis in the opening set but the exertion soon took its toll.

Hingis used all her guile and court craft to bounce back in the second set and eased away from Seles in the decider. The American staged a late rally to come back from 5-2 down but pushed a forehand wide on Hingis's second match point.

"I am very happy to have beaten Monica," Hingis said afterwards. "I have now got another chance to prove myself it is great -- I love it.

"You know, over the last few years the other girls caught up with me and I just didn't have the game to raise it in the finals. Now I think I am moving forward again and playing better than ever," she said.

Hingis will have to be at her best to live with Capriati in the final as the American is looking stronger and more powerful than ever.

The top seed rebuffed Clijsters to reach her second successive Australian Open final.

EPIC FINAL

The last meeting between Capriati and Clijsters was the epic 2001 French Open final which the American won 1-6, 6-4, 12-10.

Using her thunderous artillery, Capriati finished off the Melbourne Park clash in less time and in fewer games but was made to fight just as hard by the determined and popular Clijsters on the Rod Laver Arena centre court.

Unlike their last clash in Paris, this time it was Capriati who got the flying start breaking twice early on to dominate the early stages.

Clijsters marshalled the baseline well but Capriati's power overwhelmed her. The Belgian did well to claw back the second set but Capriati powered her way through in 97 minutes.

"I did it, I am proud of myself," Capriati said afterwards.

Johansson had appeared likely to fall short after Novak completely dominated the middle stages of the match, the Swede littering the court with 63 unforced errors.

But he gradually fought his way back against 26th seed Novak and broke the Czech's serve for only the third time in the match in the final game of the fifth set.

"I was really nervous, I haven't played in the semifinals of a grand slam before and was really tight," he said.