After failing to qualify over the weekend, Ontario's Maureen Drake (Toronto) and Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls) will face Hungary on Thursday in Perth, Australia, after Belgium was forced to withdraw from the event on Wednesday following an injury to star Kim Clijsters.
Clijsters, ranked No. 2, hurt her ankle less than two weeks before the Australian Open while playing Australia's Alicia Molik.
Clijsters blew four match points in the second-set tiebreaker in the match won by Molik 3-6, 7-6 (6), 2-3. The two were on serve in the deciding set and Molik was up 30-0 in her service game that would have evened the set at 3-3 when Clijsters walked off the court.
Toronto's Maureen Drake will compete at the Hopman Cup after all following an injury to Belgium's Kim Clijsters. (CP Photo)
Hopman Cup tournament director Paul McNamee said his medical staff was optimistic Clijsters would be available for the year's first Grand Slam event, which starts Jan. 19.
McNamee said an MRI shows bruising on the bone at the back of Clijsters' ankle. Rest, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication were prescribed.
Clijsters has entered the Adidas International in Sydney next week.
"It will be reassessed in the next 24 to 48 hours with regards to whether she could play next week in Sydney," McNamee said.
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, who won the title last year with Serena Williams, defeated Fabrice Santoro 6-3, 6-4.
Clijsters' fiance, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, beat Belgium's Xavier Malisse 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the following men's singles. The Aussies won 3-0 against Belgium when the mixed doubles were declared a walkover because of Clijsters' injury.
"I went and saw her, and she was obviously pretty distressed at the time," Hewitt said of Clijsters. "We weren't sure how bad it was, but it is obviously disappointing to happen a couple of weeks before a Grand Slam."
In the U.S.-France match, Santoro fought off three match points in the final game of the match before Blake prevailed. Davenport and Blake later defeated Mauresmo and Santoro 7-5, 6-1 in mixed doubles.
The Americans play Friday against Russia and have all but qualified for the Saturday final, most likely against Australia.
with files from Canadian Press
