Clijsters Injures Left Ankle

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 would 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.

Clijsters 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, when Clijsters walked off the court.

With Clijsters’ withdrawal, Canada, which lost to Hungary in qualifying, takes Belgium’s place against Hungary.

The defending champion United States beat France, 3-0, later in the day. Lindsay Davenport downed Amelie Mauresmo, 6-4, 6-4, and James Blake defeated Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 6-4.