Clijsters through as Williams blows up

Clijsters had been a set and 6-5 up when Williams was foot-faulted on a second serve to hand the Belgian wild card and 2005 champion match point.

Replays indicated the call had been a harsh one and it certainly incensed the American second seed, who quickly moved towards the linesperson, pointing, ball in hand while she unleashed a verbal tirade and then waved her racquet angrily at the woman, who was then beckoned by the chair umpire to explain what had been said.

Williams had picked up a first code violation for smashing her racquet at the end of the first set and this time tournament referee Brian Earley was called to the chair. After discussing the situation with the player, linesperson and chair umpire, Williams was handed a second code violation, the resultant point penalty handing victory to a bemused Clijsters, 6-4 7-5.

The Belgian, playing just her third tournament since coming out of a 27-month retirement during which time she became a mother for the first time, will now face ninth seeded teenager Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the final.

Wozniacki reached her first grand slam final when she beat fellow 19-year-old Yanina Wickmayer.

Wozniacki won 6-3 6-3 in an hour and 36 minutes inside a virtually empty Louis Armstrong Stadium after the match was switched from Arthur Ashe Stadium in a bid to get both women's semi-finals played in between the rain showers that had deluged Flushing Meadows since Thursday night.

There had been a further delay after just one point when Wickmayer complained about the slick conditions and the chair umpire halted play as the court lines were towelled down one more time.