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BRISBANE, Australia -- One of the Williams sisters advanced to the final in an Australian Open warm-up event at Auckland, and the other is one victory away in Brisbane. Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. Second-seeded Ana Ivanovic turned Saturdays final into a match between former world No. 1s when she beat third-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-2, 7-6 (3). Top-ranked Serena Williams was playing third-seeded Maria Sharapova in the Brisbane International semifinals later Friday. Shes the defending Brisbane champion and has a 14-2 winning record against Sharapova, including the last 13 matches dating back to 2005. While Serena Williams has been close to career-best form, winning 78 of her 82 matches in 2013, her older sister Venus has been struggling with injuries and is playing her first tournament since September. The ASB Classic will be her first final since she captured the title in Luxembourg in October 2012. Ivanovic, who won the most recent of her 11 WTA singles titles in 2011, has the chance to carry considerable momentum into the Australian Open later this month if she can maintain her current form. She swept through the first set of the semifinal in only 21 minutes, breaking Flipkens in the first, third and fifth games. "In the first set I didnt do much wrong and in the second set we were both serving really well," Ivanovic said. "Im just really happy that I kept calm in the tiebreak and played some really good tennis." Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka was playing Jelena Jankovic in the Brisbane semifinals on Friday afternoon, hoping for a spot in the final against either Serena Williams or Sharapova. On the mens side in Brisbane, second-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan reached the semifinals with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic of Croatia and will next meet former No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, who cruised past Romanian qualifier Marius Copil 6-4, 6-2. Top-seeded Roger Federer will play Australian Marinko Matosevic in a night match. At the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth, France clinched a place in Saturdays final against Poland by beating winless Spain. Alize Cornet overcame left hamstring soreness to beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-2 before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sealed the victory by defeating 194th-ranked Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-2. The United States takes on Czech Republic in a night match. CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Lance Stephenson doesnt want to be known as the guy who blew in LeBron James ear. Stephenson said during his introductory news conference Friday in Charlotte hes "a little upset" that the ear-blowing incident in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami is how some people have defined him as a player. "I feel like it overshadowed my play on the court," Stephenson said. "I bring more to the table than just blowing in someones ear. Im a great player." Hornets general manager Rich Cho agrees, which is why the club signed Stephenson to a three-year, $27 million contract Friday. The deal includes a team option for the third season. Cho says the 23-year-old Stephenson brings competitiveness, scoring ability, a defensive presence and a wealth of playoff experience — all things the Hornets need to take the next step and become a perennial playoff contender. "I think hell be a great fit," Cho said. The Hornets, who ranked near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage last season, expect Stephenson will help them in that area. Stephenson shot 35 per cent from beyond the arc last season. He also proved versatile in other ways. He led the NBA with five triple-doubles and posted career highs in points (13.6), rebounds (6.9) and assists (4.2). But Stephensons intense competitiveness also has a dark side. He was called for 17 technical fouls last season — third-most in the NBA — and was also involved in a practice scuffle with teammate Evan Turner. Hes been known to talk trash, occasionally taking himself out of the game and hurting his team. Hornets coach Steve Clifford is well aware of that, but after doing some background checks — even going back to talk to his high school coaches — he felt good about bringing Stephenson into a locker room that boasted great chemistry last season. "Whats thhe old saying? Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness," Clifford said.dddddddddddd "I think those things are a byproduct of the fact that he badly wants to win. To be honest, that is one of the things we all liked about him so much." Clifford said Hornets owner Michael Jordan addressed those issues with Stephenson in a meeting Tuesday night in Las Vegas. "He talked to him about what we can work on — and (Stephenson) knows that," Clifford said. "Lance knows that sometimes he has crossed the line a little bit. But I think he does it out of competitiveness." Stephenson acknowledged he has to mature as a player. But he said after talking to Jordan he knew he wanted to join the Hornets. "He loves my game and what I bring to the table," said Stephenson, who turned down a five-year, $45 million deal to stay in Indiana. "He loves that Im a great passer and I play with my teammates, and he loves the competitive edge that I have." As for the ear-blowing incident, Stephenson stopped short of saying he regretted his actions but explained his intentions. "During the series I was trying to play hard against LeBron and help my team win," Stephenson said. "Im very competitive and I know some of the antics were over the border — but I was just trying to do whatever it takes to win." Stephenson said that off the court, hes funny and likes to fool around with teammates and friends. On the court, hes as intense as they come and says "I have no friends" on the opposing team. For the Hornets, landing Stephenson is a sign the organization is headed in the right direction. This marks the second straight year theyve landed a big-name free agent after agreeing to a three-year, $41 million deal with centre Al Jefferson last summer. "It shows this is a great free agent destination," Cho said. 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