Clijsters goes clubbing

Kim Clijsters can claim statistical superiority after the first week and her expected semi-final against Serena Williams on Thursday is shaping as the match of the tournament - even if the final two days later does turn out (yet again) to be Serena against older sister Venus.

The Belgian, ranked number four in the world after the Williamses and Jennifer Capriati, was utterly ruthless in beating the Belarussian Tatiana Poutchek 6-2 6-1. With just six games dropped in three matches, she has scorched an even more pitiless path to the last 16 than either of the American sisters. Lleyton Hewitt's smilingly affable girlfriend she may be, the adopted darling of the Aus tralian crowds, but her court manner has been anything but accommodating. Just ask Petra Mandula, the Hungarian who lost to her love and love in the second round.

That match lasted a mere 33 minutes, the second quickest grand-slam victory after one of Steffi Graf's routine slaughters.

Clijsters, 19, reached the semi-finals of last year's Australian Open but is playing much better this time. She has won four of the last five tournaments she has entered, including the season-ending WTA championship in Los Angeles last November when she outplayed Serena Williams. The former French Open finalist has also won 22 of her last 23 singles matches but says she is trying not to get too carried away.

'A grand slam win would be great but I'm still so far away from that, so I'm not focusing on that at all,' she said.

Poutchek almost caused an upset in the first round of last year's French Open when she took the first set off Clijsters and pushed her to 8-6 in the third. 'I know I wasn't playing my best tennis at the French but she's a player who gets a lot of balls back and she runs really well,' Clijsters said. 'I wanted some revenge. I felt I had to keep the pressure on her and try not to let her get back into the match like I did at the French.'

Clijsters was suffering from shoulder problems at the time of the French and had to adjust to parting from her long-time coach Carl Maes (who, incidentally, is now working in Britain). By the end of the year, though, she was showing the sort of form that she has carried so impressively into the Australian Open. Her combination of power and control - there are plenty of others who have one without the other - may stop the Williams sisters hoarding all the silverware in 2003.

Possibly for psychological reasons, Serena Williams, who overwhelmed the Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1 6-1 yesterday, is choosing to emphasise her rivalry with Venus. 'My priorities remain to try and stay number one, but it's going to be hard this year because there are a lot of people after me, namely Venus, who really wants to be number one again,' she said.

'She has never sat down and told me, "Serena, I'm going to take number one away from you", but I'm sure that's what she wants to do. She's playing really well.'