January 13, 2007	Saturday	Zilhaj 22, 1427

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SYDNEY, Jan 12: Kim Clijsters fought back from match point down to end Jelena Jankovic's unbeaten start to the year in the Sydney International final here on Friday. The Belgian world No.5 looked down the barrel as the intense Serb youngster twice served for the match only to be broken and taken into a second set tiebreaker.

Jankovic, who had won all of her nine matches this year, played wretchedly in the tiebreaker, double-faulting three times to concede the set and then mentally unravelled as Clijsters took out a tense final set.

Clijsters, 23, playing in her farewell season, claimed her second Sydney title, following her 2003 success, to beat the 12th-ranked Jankovic 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 in almost two and a half hours and boost her confidence for next week's Australian Open in Melbourne.

Jankovic, who had wins over seeds Martina Hingis (5), Amelie Mauresmo (1) and Nicole Vaidisova (8) leading into the final, looked set for an emphatic straight-set victory but faltered on the big points to hand the initiative and momentum to Clijsters.

Clijsters remains unbeaten in six matches against Jankovic, who won the WTA tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, last week before coming to Sydney.

Jankovic's big moment came at 5-4 40-30 in the second set with championship point, but she tightened under the pressure and Clijsters saved it with a deep forehand volley.

The effort told on the 21-year-old Jankovic, whose game fell away in the final set after the shattering loss of the second set to the recharged Clijsters.

Clijsters broke the distracted Jankovic's service twice in the final set to take a winning 4-0 break, but the Serb clawed back to 4-3 with a service break to enliven her chanting supporters in the crowd.

Clijsters steadied to hold her last two service games and clinched the championship with a mid-court forehand winner.

There were 14 service breaks in the see-sawing final, seven to each player, but Clijsters held her nerve when it came to her turn to serve out for the championship.

Meanwhile, in the men’s event Spaniard Carlos Moya rolled back the years to repulse the challenge of rising French star Richard Gasquet and charge into the Sydney International final here.

The 44th-ranked Moya finds himself in Saturday's final against defending champion James Blake after another determined effort against a higher-ranked opponent.

Moya, 30, reached his third Sydney final in 10 years with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over 20-year-old and sixth-seed Gasquet in almost two hours in sweltering heat.

Earlier, Austrian Jurgen Melzer pulled out of his semi-final blaming a stomach upset, and handing Blake a free ride into the final.

Results:

Men's singles (Semi-finals)

James Blake (USA) bt Jurgen Melzer (AUT) default (stomach illness)

Carlos Moya (ESP) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

Women's singles (Final)

Kim Clijsters (BEL) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4. —Agencies