Clijsters heartbreak leaves Mauresmo to meet Henin

By Julian Linden

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A heart-breaking injury to
newly-crowned world number one Kim Clijsters vaulted Amelie
Mauresmo into the Australian Open final on Thursday.

She will face former champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in
Saturday’s showpiece after the Belgian beat fourth-seeded
Russian Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4.

Clijsters, plagued by injuries for the last two years, fell
heavily hurting her right foot and was forced to quit with
Mauresmo leading 5-7 6-2 3-2.

For the Belgian it was a slice of cruel luck, but one which
gives Mauresmo a chance to win her first grand slam.

“It’s very strange,” third seed Mauresmo said in a
courtside interview. “We had such a great battle till she
twisted the ankle.

“It’s a little bit of an unfinished match. I hope she gets
better and it’s not too bad but that’s the way it is.”

The only previous time Mauresmo had reached a grand slam
final she was easily beaten by Martina Hingis in Melbourne in
1999.

On Saturday she will face an equally-tough challenge when
she plays Henin-Hardenne, who earlier on Thursday fought back
gamely to beat Russia’s Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4.

Henin-Hardenne, who was unable to defend her 2004 Melbourne
title last year through injury, extended her winning streak in
Australia to 20 matches.

FELT READY

Clijsters has been plagued by injuries since she lost the
2004 Australian Open final to Henin-Hardenne but thought her
luck had taken a turn for the better when she won last year’s
U.S. Open.

But she hurt her back and hip during a warm-up event in
Sydney earlier this month and failed to regain full fitness
during the championship.

“I’m not the kind of player who is going to quit for
nothing,” Clijsters told a news conference.

“I really felt like I was ready from the first ball. I
think I played a lot better, too. That’s what makes this even
more frustrating.”

French Open champion Henin-Hardenne fought back
determinedly to overcome former Wimbledon champion Sharapova.

After splitting the first two sets, the eighth seed served
for the match in the ninth game of the decider.

She faltered slightly before recovering to break the
Russian in the next game and claim the match with a blistering
backhand winner down the line.

“I think we played a great match, it was very intense
physically,” Henin-Hardenne said.

Fourth seed Sharapova, beaten by eventual champion Serena
Williams at the same stage last year, battled hard but could
not match the tenacity of the Belgian, whose renowned backhand
slowly began to take at its toll.

“I seriously think that the quality of the match today was
great,” Sharapova said.

“It’s disappointing right now, but this match gives me a
lot of confidence toward the future.”