Third-seeded Victoria Azarenka overcame a unstable first set to reach the semifinals of the 2012 Australian Open here on Tuesday.

The Belatusian defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-7 (0-7), 6-0, 6-2 to move into her second Grand Slam semifinal.

The first set saw a lot of breaks of serve with neither player capable of stringing more than two games together. Azarenka's double fault gave Radwanska a 6-0 lead in the tiebreaker, followed by a wild errant backhand by Azarenka on set point.

However, Azarenka turned the tables in the second set, running the legs off Radwanska from the baseline, before carrying the momentum into the third to seal the win.

"It was very important to see how I could adjust after not playing really well in the first set," said Azarenka. "I completely turned it around, so I'm very very happy about it."

"Today I really tried to forget about the first set and start from zero and to take it one at a time and keep going," said the Belarusian. "I think I am a different player right now, especially mentally-wise."

Azarenka lost just 12 games in the first four rounds. But she had six double-faults and made 38 unforced errors during the two-hour match. However, the victory extended her winning streak this season to 10 matches, including a title at Sydney.

It was only Azarenka's second win in six Grand Slam quarterfinals and she has never gone further than the semifinals. Radwanska is now 0-5 in Grand Slam quarterfinals.

"It was very good match, especially the first set. It was very tight." said Radwanska. "But then Azarenka started to play very aggressive and hit the ball very hard. Obviously in the second set I just didn't make it."

Azarenka's semifinal opponent will be defending champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium ,who thrashed No.1 seed 6-3, 7-6 in two straight sets.

"Kim is a great champion. She knows how to be in the situation, handle big matches," said Azarenka. "I will just try to stay fresh out there and keep playing my game."

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