LOS ANGELES -- Kim Clijsters and Amelie Mauresmo have already played once so far in the WTA Championships, and will play again -- the only tournament where that happens. Clijsters won the first meeting in three sets.

But the final will be a totally different tone. With the round-robin format behind them that match might as well have been played a month and a half ago in Europe. The focus now is all about the finals and whether you can bring your indoor game for the biggest match of the event.

Mauresmo's situation is interesting because she went from having her bags packed to a berth in the semifinals. She was within two points of heading home, but Chanda Rubin let two match points slip away and was unable to close out her match. That meant Mauresmo advanced to the semifinals.

There she faced Justine Henin-Hardenne, who was a fraction flat, which doesn't happen very much. So now, Mauresmo finds herself in the final.

This should be a fun matchup because of Mauresmo's net play and Clijsters movement. There will be some athletic moves on the court that should be fun for the crowd to watch.

If Mauresmo can come up with her best all-court game, she can win -- especially with Clijsters record in big finals lately. It would be some story if the player who finished 1-2 in the round robin ends up winning. Because of that, Mauresmo feels no pressure -- it's bonus time for her.

Earlier this week, you could see the disappointment in Clijsters face when she knew Henin-Hardenne had clinched No. 1. The next best thing is to win the title. She's handled the things she's had control over very well. She only dropped one set apiece to Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati. Clijsters' looked like the best player the whole week. It would be a great feat to win this championship two years in a row because it doesn't happen often. And this new format of play for five days in a row, plus she's playing doubles, would make it quite an accomplishment.

It's the last match of the year in singles. Clijsters is going to head down to Australia and see Lleyton Hewitt. But she might not be taking the winner's trophy with her because after Mauresmo came so close to not even reaching the semifinals, she's got to feel she has nothing to lose.

ESPN tennis analyst Pam Shriver won 21 singles and 112 doubles crowns, including 22 Grand Slam titles.