Down to four

The Australian Open women's semifinals are set: number 2 seed Kim Clijsters v. number 3 seed Amelie Mauresmo, and number 4 seed Maria Sharapova v. number 8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne. The only one of the four who has been at her best in this tournament is Mauresmo, who is hitting sharp and clean. Henin-Hardenne still can't get her serve to work (she lost it in her comeback from an illness), Sharapova is all over the place, and Clijsters is dealing with both an injury and her usual demon--zoning out in the middle of the fight.

Anything can happen, however. Mauresmo can have one of her mental meltdowns, Clijsters can snap out of it, Sharapova can find her way again, Henin-Hardenne can prevail without a good serve.

Things to watch for:

How Clijsters moves--Though she says the anti-inflammatory meds keep her from feeling pain, she will be playing her sixth match of the tournament, and that may put a lot of stress on her hip.

How Mauresmo hits to the Clijsters backhand--Martina Hingis gave Clijsters a lot of unwanted spin, and if anyone else on the tour is capable of giving her even more, it's Mauresmo. She played smart against Patty Schnyder, taking away Schnyder's chief weapons, and she has the talent to do the same to Clijsters.

How Sharapova uses her serve--If she's on, she'll get a lot more first serves in than her opponent, which could make the difference in a tight match, especially a match with Henin-Hardenne, who doesn't have a weak side.

How Henin-Hardenne runs Sharapova around the court--though Sharapova's movement is much better than it was, she is still vulnerable to someone who can take early control of the ball.