Hingis to face Safina in Gold Coast final

PERTH, Australia, Jan 5 (Reuters) Martina Hingis and Dinara Safina booked their places in the Australian women's hardcourt championships final on the Gold Coast in contrasting style today.

Former world number one Hingis benefited from the retirement of Italy's Tathiana Garbin 34 minutes into their semi-final while Safina came back from a set and 5-2 down before shocking Israel's Shahar Peer to advance 4-6 7-6 6-1.

The 29-year-old Garbin made a positive start against Hingis, leading 4-3 in the opener when the breathing difficulties she had been experiencing became too much.

She called for the trainer and after a period of treatment decided the respiratory problem was too severe to continue, handing victory to the Swiss world number seven.

''It's definitely not the way you want to get into the final,'' five-times grand slam winner Hingis told reporters.

''I saw that she had bandages all over her nose so she could breathe easier but I don't know how bad it was.

''It was a little better weather today and maybe that made it harder for her to breathe but she definitely played the best match against me so far,'' said Hingis, who has lost just 10 games in her four-match run to the final.

Safina came back from the dead against Peer when the Israeli fifth seed folded while serving for the match at 5-2 in the second set.

She edged the opener 6-4 and marched into a commanding lead in the second when Safina, sister of men's former world number one Marat Safin, hit back to take it to a tiebreak which she won 7-1.

A rain break did little to settle Peer's nerves and the Russian world number 11 raced through the decider to win in two hours and 15 minutes.

REUTERS AY BD1758