Hingis beats Clijsters to reach Sydney final

Martina Hingis overcame a minor thigh strain to beat Kim Clijsters 7-5 4-6 6-2 on Friday to reach the women's final of the Sydney International tennis tournament.

Hingis needed treatment to her left leg in the final set but recovered to reach Saturday's final against either Serena Williams or Meghann Shaughnessy.

Earlier, Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina booked his place in the men's final with a 6-4 6-4 win over Max Mirnyi of Belarus. Chela will play Roger Federer or Andy Roddick in the final.

The match between Hingis and Clijsters, ranked fourth and fifth in the world respectively, failed to reach any great heights as the pair struggled to cope with the swirling winds.

There were 14 breaks of serve in the 30 games and a staggering 106 unforced errors in the match, 66 by Clijsters and 40 from Hingis.

Hingis, competing in her first tournament since an ankle injury cost her the number one ranking last year, eventually seized control of the match in the deciding third set when she raced to a 5-0 lead before her thigh suddenly started to trouble her.

She called for her trainer to massage the leg before returning to the court. Clijsters won the next two games to threaten a comeback before Hingis broke the Belgian for the eighth time on another Clijsters mistake.