Kim Clijsters was very relieved to reach the semi-finals after being bagelled by Lucie Safarova.

The top seed was made to look second rate by Safarova in the second set of their quarter-final before Clijsters eventually prevailed 6-1 0-6 6-4.

“In that first set I was playing really aggressively and was dominating and got a lot of second serves [to attack],” Clijsters said. “But in the second set she really did that a lot better and raised her level. When I lost that set 6-0 I said ‘forget about it’ and I just refocused.”

Clijsters had only dropped three games in her first two matches and looked on course for another short night after the first set as Safarova struggled to even win points.

However out of nowhere the Czech stunned Clijsters with a second set blitz. She conceded just nine points as she hit winners from all over the court to take it in just twenty minutes.  

Safarova looked set for a famous victory as she continued her hot streak into the third set but Clijsters is very experienced, found her serving rhythm and gained a decisive break in the fifth game to end Safarova’s momentum.

Clijsters denied she was surprised by the mercurial Safarova who has beaten the likes of Justine Henin in the past but remains very inconsistent.

“She’s beaten a lot of good players in the past so coming out here I knew I was in for a tough match,” Clijsters said.

You can watch Kim Clijsters play Andrea Petkovic in the Brisbane International semi-finals on Friday for free on bet365. To watch, simply follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Go to bet365 and sign-up or register (it's free)
2. Click on Sports > Live Streaming > Tennis
3. Watch Clijsters vs Petkovic for free