Belgian fourth seed Kim Clijsters said that she would not be intimidated by world number one Serena Williams in the Australian Open semi-final on Thursday.

Clijsters beat Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday to enter the semis.

"Serena and [her sister] Venus are always the toughest girls to play," Clijsters said in Melbourne.

"If they play their best tennis it's going to be very hard to beat them. On the other hand, they will have these moments when they may not be as consistent or maybe making some errors. It's a matter of staying with them at the beginning of the match. You have to grab every chance you get to break them."

"You shouldn't worry, even if they win the first set 6-0. In any match, it can turn around very quickly."

Clijsters, a favourite with Australian fans, broke a five-match losing streak against Serena by beating the American for the first time last November in the final of the season-ending Women's Tennis Association championships.

She beat Venus for the first time last May in Hamburg.

"Against Serena and Venus, you always have to hit a bit harder. Everything just has to be a little more precise," she said.

"I've been getting closer every time I've played them. I definitely feel like I'm capable of competing with them since I've beaten them."