Former world number one Justine Henin kept her Australian Open dream alive with a scrappy win over 19th seed Nadia Petrova in the quarter-finals.
The Belgian wildcard, in her first Grand Slam since coming out of retirement, toppled Petrova 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 to book a place in the semi-finals in Melbourne.
Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, will now face Chinese surprise package Zheng Jie, who beat Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-3 in the second of the day's women's quarter-finals.
The former Australian Open champion had marked her return to action by reaching the final of the Brisbane International - before losing out to compatriot Kim Clijsters.
"I'm here again in the last four," said Henin, who last played a Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open. "It's just much more than what I could expect and the dream continues.
"But there's still a long way to go. I'll just try to be focused on what I have to do on the court and hope it keeps going this way.
"I'll have good recovery and two good nights. That's what I need. But it's just a great feeling to be in the semis of the first Grand Slam since I'm back."
Zheng is into the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the second time, following her efforts at Wimbledon in 2008, and she was always in control against Kirilenko, who was troubled by a leg injury throughout.
"Graf is my favourite player, number one," Zheng said. "Justine is number three. I admire her because she is so strong mentally. I enjoy watching her play.
"I think it is a tough match for me, a big challenge, but I like it."
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