Seles sets up Hingis semi

Seles had trouble in the difficult conditions

Martina Hingis and Monica Seles set up a semi-final clash in the Indian Wells Masters after coming through their quarter-finals in contrasting fashion.

Seles beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6-3 3-6 6-3 while Hingis made short work of Amanda Coetzer, winning 6-1 6-2.

Seles seemed to struggle as she battled past Sanchez-Vicario in the sheltered main stadium while a sand storm stopped play on all the outside courts.

"In all the years I've played here, I've never seen anything like today," said Seles.

"It was extremely windy but also there was sand in your eyes and on the court, making it very slippery. For me it was really bad.

"Every other changeover I had to take a wet towel and just take the sand out of my eyes."

Sanchez-Vicario has only won three times in 23 meetings with Seles

The conditions had eased slightly by the time Hingis and Coetzer came on to the court.

And Hingis seemed to adapt to the difficulties.

"I think I played well despite the wind," said Hingis, who has now beaten Coetzer nine times in 11 meetings.

"I watched the Monica-Arantxa match and learned from that.

"You had to be very patient, not go for shots too soon, just wait for the right moment."

Hingis and Seles will clash for the 19th time when they meet in Thursday's semi-final.

The 21-year-old Swiss has won 14 of the previous 18 clashes, including twice this season at the Australian Open and the Pan Pacific championships.

The winner will face Daniela Hantuchova, who beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi 4-6 6-0 6-4 in their semi-final.