MELBOURNE, Australia -- Martina Hingis' comeback has gone so smoothly that she's in the Australian Open quarterfinals following three-year layoff.
Back on the tour for just three weeks, the three-time Australian Open champion advanced Monday with a 6-1, 7-6 (8) victory over Samantha Stosur and will face second-seeded Kim Clijsters.
Hingis needed four match points to beat Stosur. The five-time Grand Slam winner, who dropped off the tour because of ankle, heel and foot injuries, returned to competitive tennis Jan. 2 and hasn't lost a set at this tournament.
"I started off very well, I knew that I had to be right there from the start -- we both probably were very nervous," Hingis said. "I knew I couldn't give her any momentum."
On the men's side, top-ranked Roger Federer overcame an uncharacteristic 58 errors in his 6-4, 6-0, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 fourth-round win over Tommy Haas.
"I was really trying to just break his momentum. Tommy was making it difficult for me to play," Federer said. "To be honest, I like to be pushed like this."
Earlier today, David Nalbandian advanced to the Australian Open semifinals for the first time, overwhelming veteran Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 7-5, 6-0, 6-0.
The fourth-seeded Nalbandian was down a break in the first set, but reeled off 14 consecutive games to dominate the day's first quarterfinal.
Santoro, 33 and playing in the quarterfinals for the first time in 54 majors, won 34 points in the first set, but won only 16 in the next two sets.
Nalbandian will play the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic and unseeded Marcos Baghdatis, who upset second-seeded Andy Roddick in the fourth round.
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