Hingis slams Serena Williams

Stephen Wood

Martina Hingis stoked her simmering feud with the Williams family on Wednesday by refusing to accept that food poisoning had affected Serena in their Australian Open quarter-final.

The world number one beat Serena 6-2, 3-6, 8-6 in two hours 19 minutes of unremitting drama and now faces Serena's elder sister Venus in the semifinal.

Serena, 19, later explained she had been suffering from food poisoning since beating Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic in the fourth round on Monday. Williams received treatment courtside from a trainer on two occasions.

Hingis was less than sympathetic.

"You have to watch what you eat," the Swiss top seed said. "I have learned that over the years. You have to be professional about it.

"I mean, in the past I haven't eaten the proper way and have not felt great or have put on weight.

"But you couldn't tell if she had food poisoning. She was running well and I think I wore her out rather than anything else."

TENSE SEMIFINAL

The semifinal against Venus, the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion, was always going to be a tense affair but Hingis' outspoken remarks are likely to harden resolve in the Williams entourage.

Hingis has never beaten both Williams in the same tournament and has been outshone in the past year by Venus in particular.

The two camps have little time for each other and frequently trade barbs.

Hingis once implied Richard Williams, father of the sisters, had a big mouth.

Serena said Hingis' form last year was affected by a budding romance. Hingis retorted that what could a girl of Serena's age know about romance.

On Wednesday, Serena said Hingis had won on merit.

But whereas Hingis said she had played the best tennis of her life in the first set, Serena said that was when the food poisoning hit her.

"I was not feeling good because I had not eaten or practised for two days.

"There was no question of me not playing against Martina, even though I had not eaten properly.

"I don't know where the food poisoning came from. I saw the doctor yesterday (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday) and I did all I could.

"But I ended up feeling dizzy on court in the first set against Martina.

"The trainer gave me a tablet and it was a great help. I started to feel better in the second and start of the third set, but in the end if was Martina’s great determination and heart that got her through it."

The last time Hingis had to beat both Williams sisters to win a grand slam title was at the U.S. Open in 1999. She accounted for Venus in the semifinal at Flushing Meadows, but was beaten by Serena in the final.