Injured Safina withdraws from Australian Open warm-up

A back injury has forced Russia's Dinara Safina to pull out of next month's Brisbane International, one of the main lead up events to the Australian Open.

Brisbane organisers said Safina had informed them she would not be fit in time for the January 3-10 event.

"Safina was very much looking forward to starting her year in Brisbane and it is a real shame that she will not be fit in time to attend," tournament director Steve Ayles said in a statement on Friday.

"I know she would have been working around the clock to try to be ready for the event but in the end time has beat her and she is still undergoing treatment."

A spokeswoman for Tennis Australia said that Safina had only notified them of her decision to withdraw from Brisbane, and was still expected to compete at the Australian Open, starting in Melbourne on January 18.

Safina finished runner-up to Serena Williams at this year's Australian Open.

No place like home for Clijsters

Playing in the US Open final is no match for beating Venus Williams on home soil, US Open champion Kim Clijsters said after she beat the American in an exhibition tournament.

Belgian Clijsters, playing her first competitive match in her home country since returning to the game this year, beat the world number six 6-1, 7-5 at the Diamond Games exhibition match in Antwerp in front of a sell-out 14,000 crowd.

"It is always a special feeling to be playing before a packed Sportpaleis (in Antwerp)," Clijsters said. "No US Open final can beat that. It's truly amazing," she added.