Li Na upsets Clijsters for title

It was a first loss in 14 semifinals and finals for US Open champion Clijsters since her return from retirement in August 2009 and the manner of defeat will be a big psychological blow just three days from the start of the year's first Grand Slam.
The 28-year-old Li, a semifinalist at Melbourne Park last year, sealed her fourth career title when she volleyed home a winner with Clijsters stranded off the court after 90 minutes.

It had taken Clijsters just 18 minutes to rack up a 5-0 lead in the first set but her game then fell apart, with seven double faults and 27 unforced errors telling the tale of a spectacular collapse.

In the men’s final Gilles Simon and Viktor Troicki will face-off after comfortable semifinal victories.  The Frenchman won 7-6, 6-0 on Friday after Latvian Ernests Gulbis imploded after being broken when serving for the first set and managed to win just three points in the second.

Fourth seed Troicki later made 40 unforced errors but hit 37 winners to beat Germany's Florian Mayer 6-4, 7-6 and reach his fourth tour final.

Ferrer in final

Top seed David Ferrer will meet former world number three David Nalbandian in the final of the Auckland Open after they both advanced with easy semifinal victories on Friday.
Ferrer, the world number seven, easily accounted for Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 7-5, while Nalbandian, who beat champion John Isner on Thursday, knocked out second-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt defeated Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 7-6 at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne on Friday to set up a final showdown with 12th-ranked Frenchman Gael Monfils for the invitational title.
Gael Monfils later defeated 11th-ranked Jurgen Melzer 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 in a hard-fought semifinal.