Clijsters came into the US Open as the hottest player, having won a tour-best six titles already, and she didn't slow down against Sharapova.
The Russian seemed rattled in the first set, muttering to herself, stomping her feet, looking at her father, even throwing her racket at one point.
"The first set was really downhill for me," Sharapova said. "I don't think there was one positive thing in the first set that I did."
And when she double-faulted to give Clijsters triple match point in the second set, it looked as if the match was going to be over in a hurry.
But she saved one point with a spectacular rally, hitting a clever drop shot on the 29th shot, and worked the game back to deuce. She fought off two more match points, then won the game to force the tiebreaker.
After coming back from a minibreak in the tiebreaker, Sharapova played some of her best tennis of the match. She won five of the next six points, and crushed a forehand out of the Belgian's reach to set up set point. Sharapova didn't waste that, coming in with a forehand to close out the set, even the match and get some support from the crowd.
"I think they obviously wanted a better match," Sharapova said. "After the first set, it didn't look like it was going to be much of a match."
Clijsters quickly regained her form, breaking Sharapova right away and winning the first four games. Clijsters broke Sharapova again to go up 5-2, but dropped her own serve when the Russian came on strong again and wrong-footed her with a forehand to add one last bit of tension.
That didn't last long. Sharapova double-faulted for the seventh time to start what would be the final game, and saw the match end when she hit a forehand into the net on one last, long rally.
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