Clijsters and Li reach Sydney final

World number three Kim Clijsters saw off Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova in three sets today to advance to the final of the Sydney International.

Clijsters conceded the first set and twice trailed by a break in the decider before scraping home 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7/1) in just under three hours.

The Belgian will face China’s Li Na in the women’s final tomorrow.

It was a shaky start from the two-time champion, surrendering two early service breaks to gift a determined Kleybanova the opening set.

Having conceded an early break in the second, the determined Russian broke back in the seventh game but could not hold her next service game which went to deuce six times.

Clijsters consolidated and levelled things up at a set apiece but was first to buckle in the decider as Kleybanova raced to a 4-1 lead.

The US Open champion broke back immediately and looked set to steamroll her opponent who sought medical attention for the second time in the match.

Four consecutive service breaks ensued before Clijsters showed her class in the tie-break to continue her strong build-up ahead of next week’s Australian Open.

Earlier, Li overpowered Serbian teenager Bojana Jovanovski in straight sets to progress to the final.

Both players struggled to hold serve throughout the match in blustery conditions on Ken Rosewall Arena, but the Chinese used her superior experience to prevail 7-6 (6/4) 6-3 in a tense encounter.

It was a bizarre first set as both players surrendered three service breaks before Li eventually claimed it on the tie-break despite playing well below her best.

The eighth seed continued to cash in on Jovanovski’s unreliable serve, earning three breaks in the final set to seal a hard-fought victory.

“It was not easy. I mean, she’s young, but she was playing well,” Li said.

“At the beginning of the match I didn’t know how she plays because I never saw her practice, never saw her play the match.

“I was like, what’s going on?”