Three of the big name players - including former world No.1 Amélie Mauresmo of France - have been knocked out of the Australian women's hard courts tennis tournament in Gold Coast.
Mauresmo fell in straight sets to fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-4, 6-4. The French player fell behind 5-0 in the first set and never recovered. In the semifinals, Schnyder meets China's Li Na, who beat top seed Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3.
Meanwhile, fifth-seed Shahar Peer of Israel scored a three-set win over defending champion Dinara Safina of Russia, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6. The 20-year-old Israeli faces Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the semifinals. Azarenka defeated Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in three sets (6-1, 3-6, 6-3).
The tournament is one of several events players are using to prepare for the first major tournament of the year - the Australian Open - which starts January 14th in Melbourne.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP.
