Clijsters, Pierce to Contend for US Open Title

Pre-tournament favorite Kim Clijsters, still grasping for that elusive first slam title, and the resurgent Mary Pierce will contend for the US Open title on "Super Saturday" after each gutting out three-set semifinal victories on Friday.

Clijsters outscrambled Maria Sharapova, who on Monday will again rise to the top spot on the WTA Rankings, with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 victory, subduing the Russian on the sixth match point.

It is ironic that Clijsters, who has now beaten Sharapova in all four of their career encounters and now sees her climb back to No. 1, is now the Russian's major opposition for the year-end No. 1 ranking.

"It was tough," Clijsters said of her difficulties in closing out the match. "I think I gave everything I had on those last points, but she just came up with better shots."

The Belgian was rolling the struggling Russian world icon 6-2, 6-5, 40-0 when Sharapova suddenly found her form, slapping winners to recover the game, forcing a tiebreak and stretching the match to three sets.

"I kind of gave it all I had in the tiebreaker and just basically ran out of gas in the third set," said Sharapova, who in the first set failed to hold serve in an uneven match that tested fan resolve to not maybe see what was on Mtv or the Weather Channel. "Physically, I have to get a lot better and play these three-setters where the points are going to go on and on. Today's match is a great example that it's physical."

In the final Clijsters will face Mary Pierce, who through a series of pony-tail tying, eye wiping, nail gazing, dragging service games and a 12-minute injury time-out frustrated last year's runner-up Elena Dementieva 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to gain her first career US Open final.

Pierce appeared to reinjure her thigh, which has been troubling her this summer, and was also treated for a back injury during back-to-back injury time-outs.

"It's pretty simple," said Pierce on persevering through the injuries. "Today after I lost the first set, I just kept thinking about a friend of mine back home, Pat, who is sick. She just gave me the power to play today."

Pierce is the first Frenchwoman to ever reach the US Open final.

After the long injury treatment Pierce came out firing while Dementieva, effectively iced and peeved at the extended downtime, struggled from then on with her ground game.

"You can change the game around by winning unbelievable point(s) or by changing the rhythm, I mean, it's the fair point," said a rattled Dementieva after the match. "But by taking like 12 minutes timeout -- I don't think it was a fair play. But she could do it by the rules. And she did it. If that's the only way she can beat me, I mean, it's up to her."

Pierce denied employing gamesmanship.

"Everybody gets injured," Pierce countered. "There are time-outs for certain reasons. Some players go to the bathroom. Some change their clothes. Elena went and changed her clothes after I won the second set, so it's part of the game."

The final on Saturday will be wide open.

Clijsters is 37-1 on hardcourts this year, and has beaten Pierce in both their career match-ups. But the final could see both players struggling to pry their hands off their throats: Clijsters is a dismal 0-4 in slam finals, while Pierce is 2-5, most recently putting in a jittery performance in this year's French Open finale blow-out at the hands of Justine Henin-Hardenne.