In doubles semi final action on Day 11, Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova ousted the top seeds, while popular Frenchman Arnaud Clement missed out on moving into his second consecutive final at Melbourne Park.
No strangers to doubles success here at Melbourne Park (they won in 1999), Hingis and Kournikova performed a spectacular upset by defeating top seeds Rennae Stubbs and Lisa Raymond 6-7(5) 6-1 6-0 on Show Court One. The popular victory, in front of hundreds of devoted fans, came just a few hours after Hingis had beaten Monica Seles to move into her sixth consecutive singles final.
At the end of the match, the delighted winners, who have won ten doubles crowns as a team, shared a hug, then signed a wad of autographs.
Hingis and Kournikova will now meet No.13 seeds Daniela Hantuchova and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the final. The Slovak/Spanish duo posted a resounding 7-5 6-2 win over No.15 seeds Conchita Martinez and Magui Serna on Show Court One, early Thursday afternoon.
30-year-old Sanchez-Vicario is a doubles veteran compared to the three other women's doubles finalists. The Spaniard owns 61 doubles titles, collected over 15 years, including four Australian Open doubles crowns (three doubles, one mixed). The last time she won the coveted doubles title at Melbourne Park was 1996 (with American Chanda Rubin).
Her partner, 18-year-old Hantuchova is a relative newcomer to the women's tour, but has already tasted Grand Slam doubles success when she won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title last year. She also sliced her singles ranking by more than half and finished last year ranked No.38.
In an all-French men's doubles semi final marathon on Rod Laver Arena, the unseeded combination of Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro accounted for countrymen Julien Boutter and Arnaud Clement in three nailbiting sets 6-3 3-6 12-10.
In front of a centre court crowd that had gradually swelled with fans who'd come to see the women's singles semi final blockbuster, the French foursome toiled for almost three hours.
The fans were entertained by a barrage of spectacular net exchanges, crafty lobs, brutal passing shots and intelligent teamwork. The experienced Santoro, who played a crucial role in France's Davis Cup win last December, inspired his partner with a never-say-die attitude and a plethora of clever tactics. Santoro, a veteran on the pro tour, has eight doubles titles to his name.
The bandanna-clad Clement, who fell to Andre Agassi in last year's singles final (and lost in the second round this year), also played superb tennis throughout the dual, and saved four match points on his serve. His partner, the 27-year-old Boutter, had beaten second seeded Gustavo Kuerten in the first round of the singles. Today he dropped his serve in the 22nd game of the third set to hand Santoro and Llodra the match.
The French pair will meet the winner of the Thursday evening semi final clash between ninth seeds Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor and second seeds Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer.
