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Clijsters injured at Hopman Cup ( 2004-01-08 09:05) (Agencies) Second-ranked Kim Clijsters injured her left ankle and quit a match at the Hopman Cup on Wednesday, less than two weeks before the start of the Australian Open.
Doctors were optimistic Clijsters will be able to play in the year's first major tournament, Hopman Cup tournament director Paul McNamee said. The Australian Open begins Jan. 19.
Clijsters, the runner-up at the U.S. Open and French Open in 2003, was hurt in the third set against Australia's Alicia Molik.
The Belgian will sit out the rest of the Hopman Cup.
McNamee said an MRI test showed bruising on the bone at the back of the ankle. Rest, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication were prescribed.
Clijsters is scheduled to play next week in another Australian Open tuneup, in Sydney. Her status for that event will be assessed in the next day or two, McNamee said.
She wasted four match points in the second-set tiebreaker and stopped while leading 6-3, 6-7 (6), 3-2. The players were on serve in the deciding set, and Molik was up 30-0 in her service game when Clijsters walked off the court.
Before quitting, Clijsters just watched some balls that were within reach sail by.
"When Kim didn't get to some of those balls, I knew something was wrong," Molik said. "It's a shame to see it end on an injury."
Clijsters' fiance, Lleyton Hewitt, beat Belgium's Xavier Malisse 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the next match to give Australia an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Australia won 3-0 when the mixed doubles was declared a walkover because of Clijsters' injury.
"I went and saw her, and she was obviously pretty distressed at the time," Hewitt said. "We weren't sure how bad it was, but it is obviously disappointing to happen a couple of weeks before a Grand Slam."
Hewitt twisted his ankle in the seventh game of the third set and had it taped.
"It was lucky I was wearing my ankle braces, otherwise I'd probably be out of the whole Australian summer," Hewitt said.
With Clijsters' withdrawal, Canada takes Belgium's place against Hungary in the cup.
In other action, the defending champion United States blanked France 3-0. Lindsay Davenport beat Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4, and James Blake, who won the title last year with Serena Williams, defeated Fabrice Santoro 6-3, 6-4.
The Americans play Friday against Russia and are close to qualifying for Saturday's final, most likely against Australia.
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