World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki's hopes of winning her first Grand Slam title were dashed by defending champion Kim Clijsters on Tuesday at the 2012 Australian Open.

The Belgian, who had never previously beaten a top-ranked player at a grand slam, claimed a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory in their clash to cruise into the semifinals in one hour and 45 minutes.

Clijsters sprained her left ankle in a fourth-round win over fifth seed Li Na, but did not appear to be affected Tuesday by the injury.

The pair both started nervously, with three service breaks to start the match, but the 28-year-old Clijsters dictated play from fourth game in which she hold it firm and rallied to seal the opening set 6-2.

The match then seemed to be beyond Wozniacki's reach when Clijsters surged to a 3-1 advantage in the second set and took an upper hand in the fifth game, but the Dane soon geared up and back in to the match. Wozniacki, who was criticized for holding the No. 1 spot without winning a major, won the next two points to break Clijsters, and then held to get it back on level terms and forced the match into tiebreaker.

Clijsters again hit a backhand down the line to take a 5-4 lead. She set up double match point with a cross-court forehand winner and sealed it with a volley.

The four-time major winner next plays third-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who had a 6-7 (0-7), 6-0, 6-2 win over No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska earlier Tuesday to move into the semis of a Grand Slam for the second time.

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