Coming back from one set down, Australia's Sydney Olympic champion Natalie Cook and her new partner Nicole Sanderson advanced into the last four at the SWATCH-FIVB World Women's Beach Volleyball Tour China Open in East China's Lianyungang on Saturday.

The Aussie duo, ranked fourth in the world, knocked off the Canadian pair Guylaine Dumont/Annie Martin 20-22, 21-16, 15-11 in 47 minutes and moved closer to win the title as the top three players were absent from the China Open.

The Aussie pair face Suzanne Lahme/Danja Musch on Sunday morning after the Germans defeated Greece's Efi Sfyri/Vasso Karadassiou 21-16, 21-16 for their first appearance in a World Tour semi-final.

Cook's Olympic champion partner Kerri-Ann Pottharst/Angela Clarke failed to book a berth in the last four as they lost to Switzerland's Nicole Schnyder Benoit/Simone Kuhn 22-20, 19-21, 15- 11.

In the semi-finals, the Swiss duo will face Dutch players Rebekka Kadijk/Marrit Leenstra who silenced the local audience by beating Chinese favorites Tian Jia/Wang Fei in straight sets, 24- 22, 21-14.

It will be the first semi-final appearance for Kadijk/Leenstra on the World Tour as they placed fifth twice this year in the Berlin Grand Slam and Swiss Open in Gstaad while the Chinese pair Tian/Wang continued their jinx of outside of last four.

Ranked 10th in the world, Tian/Wang, who had two fifths and two ninths place this season, is the only Chinese in the semi-finals as the two other teams stopped in the last 16.

Wang said"You Wenhui/Wang Lu finished first in Group H but lost 18-21, 21- 17, 15-9 to Canadians Dumont/Martin and Wang Jie/Ji Linjun were outpowered by Swiss Benoit/Kuhn 21-15, 21-13.

The final of the US$150,000 China Open will be played on Sunday afternoon.

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