Second seed Kim Clijsters overcame a shaky start to blast her way past Swiss teenager Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the Bank of the West Classic on Friday.
Third seed Jennifer Capriati recovered from a break down in the deciding set to battle past fellow American Lisa Raymond 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 but fifth seed Jelena Dokic continued her season-long slump when she was upset by qualifier Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-4, 6-3.
The 19-year-old Mikaelian came out firing against the Belgian, taking control with her huge forehand and razor-sharp two-handed backhand.
Clijsters had trouble keeping her big groundstrokes in check and lost the first set when Mikaelian forced her into a forehand error.
The world number two regained her composure in the second, breaking Mikaelian for 2-0 with a bludgeoning forehand winner and running off the next four games and the set.
In the third, the twice French Open finalist broke Mikaelian to 3-1 when she stabbed a backhand winner over the net.
A dejected Mikaelian could not pick her game up after that and Clijsters broke her to 5-1 when she crushed a backhand at her feet and then held to win the match with a 95-mph service winner.
"In the first set she was going for it and serving really well and I had a hard time breaking her," said Clijsters, who has lost only two of her last 19 matches.
"It was a matter of making her move one or two metres in either direction and that's when she struggles. If you hit it into her range and don't make her move, she's dangerous."
The 2001 champion will face Italy's Francesca Schiavone, a 7-6, 6-3 victor over American Amy Frazier, in the semi-finals.
CONSISTENT GAME
The 29-year-old Vento-Kabchi played a consistent game to set up a semi-final against Capriati.
The Venezuelan effectively moved Dokic around the court and drew her into numerous errors.
"It's the best week of my career," said Vento-Kabchi.
"I've been playing great. I had to stay in there with her and make sure I wasn't thinking about winning, just playing the right way."
Dokic, who reached a career-high ranking of four last October, has only reached one semi-final in 2003.
Capriati came out charging in the first set with her blistering groundstrokes.
But Raymond clawed back in the second with her low sliced backhands and crisp volleys, jumping into a 6-3 lead in the tiebreak.
Raymond clinched the tiebreak on her third set point when Capriati inexplicably did not make a play on a slow ball that was close to the baseline and was called good.
Capriati launched a massive protest but to no avail and was given a warning for audible obscenity.
"I got out what I wanted to say and I felt good after that," Capriati said.
Raymond raced to a 3-1 lead over the shaken Capriati in the third set, but the three-time grand slam champion came roaring back.
She levelled at 3-3 before breaking Raymond again to win the contest with a backhand crosscourt winner.
"I really like the battle but it's nice to have some easy matches, too," said Capriati.
"I've had some tough matches. It seems like everyone really gets up to play me and I bring out the best in them."
A disappointed Raymond believed she let slip a good opportunity.
"It was an unbelievable match," Raymond said. "If I believed a little more I could have been the winner."
