MIAMI, 3 April 2005 — Kim Clijsters’ resurgence continued here yesterday as the former world No. 1 from Belgium defeated second-seeded Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-5 to claim the WTA title at Key Biscayne.

As she did at Indian Wells, California, last week, Clijsters made her championship run from the unseeded ranks, reconfirming her return from the wrist injury that sidelined her for much of 2004.

The 21-year-old shrugged off a rain delay of nearly an hour, then persevered as both players struggled to hold serve in a second set played in blustery winds under threatening skies.

As they had in the opening set, the players traded breaks in the opening two games of the second.

They exchanged breaks again in the fifth and sixth games before Clijsters seemed to gain a solid advantage by breaking Sharapova in the seventh, then holding her serve to love to lead 5-3. But Sharapova wasn’t finished.

With Clijsters serving for the match at 5-4, Sharapova gave herself a break point with a stinging forehand winner, then fired a backhand service return winner to level the set at 5-5.

In trouble again in the next game, the 17-year-old Russian saved two break points with unreturnable serves before Clijsters got the decisive break.

Clijsters served again for the match, squandering two match points before wrapping it up after 1hr 37min.

In the opening set, Sharapova faced a break point in the fourth game when rain stopped play. When they returned to the court, however, she won three points in a row to level the set at 2-2.

Clijsters earned the decisive break in the sixth game, then fought off two break points in the ninth to take the set.

The victory means that Clijsters, who started Indian Wells ranked 133rd in the world and had improved to No. 38 after her California victory, will ascend to number 17 in the rankings.

Sharapova, ranked No. 3 in the world, missed out on a chance to claim the No. 2 spot currently held by France’s Amelie Mauresmo.

Mauresmo, the top seed here, fell to Clijsters in the semifinals, one of four top-five seeds beaten by the Belgian in her run to the title.

Clijsters also defeated fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva and fifth-seeded French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, both of Russia.

Federer Downs Agassi

to Reach Final

Meanwhile, world No. 1 Roger Federer ended Andre Agassi’s hopes of a seventh Nasdaq-100 title with a 6-4, 6-3 semifinal victory on Friday.

The Swiss will meet Rafael Nadal in today’s best-of-five set final after he defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3.

Federer took one hour and 21 minutes to record his third win of the year over Agassi and his 21st victory in succession.

Federer, who won the Pacific Life Open title 13 days ago in Indian Wells, has been beaten once in his last 48 matches. His only defeat in that sequence came against Marat Safin in January’s Australian Open semifinals.

“You can play a quality match but he has the ability, at any given moment, to play spectacular tennis,” said Agassi.

The American held his own in some thrilling first set exchanges but lost his serve at 4-5 down.

At 3-3 in the second set Agassi began to apply some pressure of his own but Federer’s serve held steady. It proved to be a turning point as the Swiss went on the attack, breaking Agassi in the next game and serving out the match.

“I did everything pretty well but I needed a few free points on my first serve today and didn’t quite get those in the second set,” said Agassi.

Nadal, instrumental in Spain’s home Davis Cup triumph over the US in Seville last December, will face Federer in the biggest ATP match of his career.

All three of his career titles, including the Sopot title in 2004, have come on clay but none have been as prestigious or as lucrative as the $3,450,000 Masters Series event in Miami.

Against Ferrer, the 18-year-old raced away with the first set, running up a 4-0 lead in just 20 minutes.

Only when he came to serve for a one-set lead did Nadal show any nerves but, having been broken at 5-2, he made no mistake when serving for it a second time at 5-4.

An early break of the Ferrer serve put Nadal in the driving seat in the second set and with the teenager’s penetrating groundstrokes firing, Ferrer could do little to stop his compatriot’s march into the final.