PERTH, Australia, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The United States joined Spain in the final of the Hopman Cup Friday with a 2-1 victory over Belgium.
The top-seeded Americans got singles victories from Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill to bounce back from Wednesday's
surprising loss to Italy and return to the final.
Seles rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Kim Clijsters and Gambill clinched the win with a 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2) victory over Xavier Malisse. That ended the upset hopes of Italy, which recorded a meaningless 2-1 win over France.
Clijsters and Malisse won the doubles match, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Italy and France split their singles matches, but the French tandem of Virginie Razzano and Arnaud Clement defaulted the doubles to Francesca Schiavone and Davide Sanguinetti.
Seles and Gambill were runners-up last year to Switzerland but get another shot Saturday against the Spanish team of Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Tommy Robredo.
Spain caught a break Thursday when world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia was forced to withdraw due to chicken pox. That sent the third seeds into the final, where Sanchez-Vicario has a chance to become the first player to win the Hopman Cup twice.
In 1990, the former world No. 1 teamed with brother Emilio to defeat the U.S. duo of John McEnroe and Pam Shriver.
Seles also has a chance to accomplish the feat after winning in 1991 for Yugoslavia with Goran Prpic.
