MASON, Ohio – to reach another title match.
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 against Maria Sharapova, also trying for title No. 3. She beat fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a sloppy semifinal.
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. She was on court for only 25 points.
Clijsters broke Ivanovic's serve to go up 2-1. In the next game, the Serb hurt 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.
"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. 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 major disappointment for the former No. 1-ranked player. She was limited by an injured right shoulder early in the season and had trouble getting back to form. She hasn't reached the final at any tournament this year, and came to Cincinnati ranked No. 62.
Clijsters has turned Cincinnati into her comeback city.
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 of the $2 million Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open got easier 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 she 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."
She'll take the momentum into the match against Sharapova, who improved to 5-0 in semifinals this year by winning a 2-hour, 29-minute match that was ragged — 75 unforced errors, 40 of them by Sharapova.
Pavlyuchenkova struggled with her serve throughout. The 19-year-old had spent 7 hours, 13 minutes in the heat on court in the last two days, playing singles and doubles, and her shoulder felt it.
"I've played a lot of tennis," said Pavlyuchenkova, who was coming off a title win at Istanbul. "I had tough matches here. I was just getting tired."
She double-faulted again at 0-40 to put Sharapova up 2-1 in the second set, then called for a trainer who worked on her upper right arm and the front of her shoulder for several minutes. When she was ready to go, there was another 10-minute delay to get the court lights turned on.
The delay gave Pavlyuchenkova time to regroup.
"It helped me a little bit to calm down," she said. "I was a little angry with myself. I was too tired today. It helped me to get everything clear in my head."
By contrast, Sharapova's game was out of whack when play resumed, setting up a long match.
"I think it kind of changed many things," Sharapova said of the delay. "I think I really gave her a chance to get back into the match."
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