updated 3:07 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2006

MELBOURNE, Australia - Amelie Mauresmo reached her first Grand Slam final in seven years when Kim Clijsters retired from their Australian Open semifinal Thursday.

Mauresmo was leading 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 and 15-love when the second-seeded Clijsters withdrew because of an injured right ankle. Clijsters’ departure ended the prospect of an all-Belgian final with Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Henin-Hardenne, the 2004 champion, beat Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the first semifinal.

After breaking Mauresmo to get back on serve in the third set and then holding game point at 40-0 in the fifth game, Clijsters let Mauresmo back in with two unforced errors and a double-fault.

Facing a breakpoint, she stumbled and fell to the court when Mauresmo hit a forehand behind her.

Clijsters had her ankle heavily taped in the changeover and only played one more point before retiring.

“We had such a great battle ... it’s a little bit of an unfinished match, but that’s the way it is sometimes,” Mauresmo said. “I just hope she’s going to get better.”

U.S. Open champion Clijsters, who took over the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis when she beat Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals Wednesday, was bothered by hip and back injuries throughout the tournament.

Henin-Hardenne, seeking a fifth Grand Slam singles title, is on a 13-match winning stretch at Melbourne Park going into the final.

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She beat Clijsters in the final here in 2004 but was unable to defend the title because injuries kept her out of the tournament.

Henin-Hardenne was sidelined for two months with an injured right hamstring, but returned to win the Sydney International the week before the Open. She is 10-0 this season.

“It’s been tough for me to be injured for such a long time, and then coming back in my first Grand Slam, being again in the final, I think it’s just an amazing feeling,” Henin-Hardenne said. “I really enjoy that right now.”

Tony Feder / AP Kim Clijsters had to retire from her semifinal match against Amelie Mauremo after injuring her right ankle in the third set.

Third-seeded Mauresmo hasn’t returned to a Grand Slam final since losing the 1999 Australian Open decider to Hingis. That remains the 26-year-old Frenchwoman’s best run at a major.

“I can (hardly) remember I made the final here,” Mauresmo said jokingly. “I’m very happy to do it again — I’ve been waiting so long and I hope it’s going to go my way.”

She’s been knocked out in four semifinals at majors since, although she did have a breakthrough win at the season-ending WTA Championship in November, including a round-robin win over Clijsters.

It looked as though Clijsters might win in straight sets as Mauresmo, known for making mistakes when things get tight, showed her nerves again.

Serving at 5-6, she fended off four set points before double-faulting on the fifth to hand Clijsters the first set.

Clijsters already was suffering even before twisting her ankle. Combined with hip and back pain, she had trouble with her left hamstring from compensating for the ailments.

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As the match wore on, she looked increasingly stiff. Her frustration grew, too. She angrily smacked her racket onto the surface after missing one backhand long, then spiked it after missing the next point.

Every point between Henin-Hardenne and Sharapova was a struggle.

Despite the long rallies, with both players racing from sideline to sideline, each produced some outstanding defensive pickups and strong, clean winners.

“I think we played a great match. It was very intense physically, especially in the first set,” said Henin-Hardenne, who hit 22 winners to 17 for Sharapova. “I’m very happy to be in the final again.”

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