Anna Ivanovic’s foot injury sends Kim Clijsters into Cincinnati final

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Ivanovic’s foot injury puts Clijsters in final

MASON, Ohio — Kim Clijsters reached another title match with only 12 minutes of tennis and an empathetic hug.

Ana Ivanovic hurt her left foot during the opening set of their semifinal at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, forcing her to withdraw in tears with the rest of her season in doubt.

“It sounds very similar to what I had with my left foot,” said Clijsters, who tore a muscle in her foot last April and missed nearly two months, including the French Open. “I hope it’s not that bad.”

The fourth-seeded Belgian will be well-rested when she plays her third title match of the year on Sunday. Ivanovic’s injury allowed the 27-year-old Clijsters to get a break from the oppressive afternoon heat — an on-court thermometer reached 120 degrees during the week.

Russians Maria Sharapova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were set to play in the other semifinal on Saturday night.

The first one ended after only 25 points.

Clijsters broke Ivanovic’s serve to go up 2-1. In the next game, the Serb appeared to twist her left foot while setting up to make a forehand return from the baseline. She hit one more point during the rally — another forehand — then dropped her racket and bent over in pain.

Immediately, she knew it was bad.

“All of a sudden on that one shot, I felt something, you know, crack a little bit,” Ivanovic said. “I was very scared.”

Ivanovic straightened up, cupped her hands behind her head and winced in pain. She walked gingerly to her chair and took a medical timeout, removing her shoe. A trainer rubbed the inside of the foot and taped it so Ivanovic could try to continue.

After the second point — a serve that Ivanovic didn’t even bother to chase — the match was over.

“I tried bit of tape, but I could not put any weight on it, and there was no point in me continuing,” she said.

Ivanovic cried as she hobbled toward the net, where Clijsters embraced her. Then, she left to have the foot examined by a doctor.

It was another setback in a disappointing season for the former No. 1-ranked player. She was limited by an injured right shoulder early in the season and had trouble getting back in form. She hasn’t reached the final at any tournament this year, and came to Cincinnati ranked No. 62.

She had a good week, reaching only her third semifinal. The foot injury left the rest of her season in doubt.

“I played some really great tennis, and I was very excited about this match,” she said.

Clijsters has turned Cincinnati into her comeback city each of the last two years.

Last year, Clijsters returned to tennis in Cincinnati after taking more than two years off to start a family and recharge. She got her game together quickly, reached the quarterfinals and built upon the momentum, winning the U.S. Open title.

This year, she took a break from tournament play after Wimbledon, then showed up in Cincinnati looking to get her game together. Her path to the final opened up when Serena and Venus Williams both withdrew because of injuries before the tournament started, and five of the top eight seeds were knocked out on Thursday.

The seventh-ranked Clijsters said felt better than she had all week when the match began.

“I was really into it,” she said. “I felt I was moving well, really well. My contact with the ball was better than in previous matches.”

After Ivanovic withdrew, Clijsters ran for a half hour to keep up her conditioning. She hoped to practice a little more on Saturday evening, then watch part of the other semifinal match.