Gambill puts U.S. into Hopman final

Jan-Michael Gambill out-scrapped Xavier Malisse 7-6 7-6 on Friday to send the top-seeded U.S. into Saturday's final of the Hopman Cup.

Runners-up last year, the Americans will face third seeds Spain in the final with both Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario bidding to become the first player to win the mixed team event twice.

Sanchez-Vicario won the tournament with brother Emilio in 1990 while the following year Seles, representing her country of birth Yugoslavia, won with Goran Prpic.

"It's great to be in the final again," Gambill said after his hard-fought victory.

"I thought I played really well out there. Monica played really great and I played great in the tiebreaks."

Malisse received treatment throughout the match after appearing to strain his lower back in the second game of the match, but Gambill said that had not put him off.

"Look, I don't know that he wasn't 100 percent... he was coming out and playing really well after the treatment.

"I just had to be at my best."

Seles earlier pulled off a gutsy 4-6 6-4 6-2 win over world number five Kim Clijsters.

SHARP ANGLES

Seles recovered from dropping the opening set against Clijsters to impose her powerful baseline game and slice the 18-year-old to pieces with her sharp angles.

A single break in the second set hauled her level and two breaks in the third sealed a victory which enraged Clijsters so much the Belgian uncharacteristically smashed her racket into the ground at the end of the match.

"Both Kim and I really wanted to win that match... it was important for both of us," Seles said afterwards.

"I love that court. Today I tried to be more aggressive on the court because it is a little bit slow and lots of balls come back."

Gambill was just too good in every department for Malisse who had lost all three of the pair's previous matches ahead of the clash.

A break apiece in the first set and also in the second failed to separate the players and it was in the tiebreaks that Gambill's experience told, winning both seven points to two.

Gambill will face Tommy Robredo in the singles match against Spain on Saturday.

"I have never played him before so it is pretty exciting," Gambill said. "I'm looking forward to it."

In other action at the Burswood Dome, Italy beat France 2-1 after Virginie Razzano twisted her ankle.

The French were forced to forfeit the deciding mixed doubles. France had levelled the match when Australian Open runner-up Arnaud Clement beat Davide Sanguinetti 6-3 7-5.

Clement had to square the tie after his partner Virginie Razzano had given Italy the lead when she retired after hurting her ankle at 1-1 against Francesca Schiavone.