American Anthony Kim set up a rematch with Australian Robert Allenby and England's Ross Fisher a meeting with Masters Tournament champion Angel Cabrera in the semifinals of the Volvo World Match Play Championship on Friday.

Kim eagled the 18th to beat Scott Strange and set up a clash with Allenby three weeks after a controversial Presidents Cup tie in which the Australian made late-night drinking allegations about his 24-year-old opponent.

Allenby has since apologised and the pair have spoken, but the controversy should pave the way for an interesting encounter on Saturday.

"I've been around for 18 years in this game and I've said a lot of things and regretted a lot of things," said Allenby.

"A lot of things have been written that haven't come out the right way. It's a dead issue in both Anthony and my books - I'm not answering any more questions about it."

Kim smiled when told it was Allenby he would be taking on again and when asked how he would be spending the night before their 36-hole match.

"I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do," he said.

"Dinner at 6.30 here, be done by 7.30, shower eight, internet and talk to some friends eight to nine, be in bed by 9.30!"

After two wins on the opening day, Kim had to be beaten by four holes by Strange not to progress.

And he produced one of the shots of his life, a 274-yard three-wood to four feet on the final hole, in his Group A to deny tournament outsider Strange a place in the last four.

"It was a special shot for me. I haven't been able to swing that way and trust my swing - and I really had to trust it. It felt so good."

Kim, who won his first two games, was four down to the Australian after 17 holes and would have gone out by a single hole, but Strange only parred the last, leaving the way clear for the American.

"I played 36 holes many times in college but never in match play and never as a pro," said Kim, who was the star of the show in the US Ryder Cup win over Europe in Kentucky a year ago but has been struggling with injury since then.

"But I will go out there and give it all I got. It will be taxing on my body but I'm ready and I want to do it."

Allenby, meanwhile, beat England's Oliver Wilson by two holes in Group B to seal his semi-final spot.

Fisher beat India's Jeev Milkha Singh to top his Group D in the new format and so made it to the last four, just as he did in the Accenture Match Play in Arizona in February.

He will take on Cabrera after the Argentine, runner-up to Ernie Els on the last staging of this event at Wentworth two years ago, ended the hopes of Rory McIlroy and Simon Dyson when he crushed Dyson by a massive seven-hole margin.

Retief Goosen beat Paul Casey and finished third in the group.

In Group C, Cabrera progressed with ease. The Argentine was six up on England's Dyson with three remaining, and thanks to a superior hole difference was guaranteed to qualify.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy did everything to make up for his defeat to Cabrera but the 20-year-old’s wins over Dyson in the morning and Henrik Stenson in the afternoon were not enough to prevent him being eliminated.

AFP

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