Clijsters wins again as Federer's run ends

Kim Clijsters of Belgium poses with the trophy after winning her women's finals match against Vera Zvonareva of Russia during the US Open tennis tournament in New York, September 11, 2010

Photo: Reuters

It was all too easy for Kim Clijsters at the US Open on Saturday. And all too hard for Roger Federer.

Clijsters won her third women's singles title with ridiculous speed, thrashing her nervous Russian opponent Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-1 in less than an hour.

For the second year in a row, Clijsters celebrated her victory by fooling around with her infant daughter on the center court. The photographers lined up to start snapping away

but Jada protested. "No photos, no photos," she told them.

Clijsters giggled and the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium lapped it up.

"I'm very excited that I was able to defend my title," Clijster said. "It's always an honor to go back to a place, especially a Grand Slam, where you've done well and you've

won."

Zvonareva was reduced to tears, hiding her head under her towel as she sobbed. The seventh-seed had played some brilliant tennis to get to the final but these were not her finest 59 minutes.

It was not Federer's greatest day at Flushing Meadows either. For the first time since 2003, the Swiss master will not be appearing in the men's singles final after his loss in the semifinals to Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

"I'm not as disappointed as I would have been in the final,’ he said. “That's the only positive news to enjoy anything out of it.”

Federer had two match points in the final set, which lasted longer than the entire women's final, but missed his chances and Djokovic went on to win 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 7-5.

"It's one of those matches that you will remember for the rest of your life," said Djokovic. "I am very proud of myself."

His reward was a place in Sunday's final against the world number one Rafa Nadal, who sailed through with a 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory over Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.

Nadal has never won the US Open but it will take an extraordinary performance from Djokovic to deny him this time.

"I have tried my best for a lot of years," Nadal, who has not dropped a single set in the tournament, said. "So now after a lot of work I am here and I'm happy for that."

Nadal is now tantalizingly close to completing a career grand slam. Only six men, including Federer, have achieved the feat and Nadal only needs the US Open to become the seventh.

If he does it on Sunday, the 24-year-old will be second youngest.

"I feel great," Nadal said. "It's not a dream, because a dream is to win the tournament."

Nadal's only moments of concern against Youzhny were late in the match when he dropped serve for just the second time in the tournament and had his left foot re-taped and bandaged because of a blister.

Labeled quitter

Djokovic's victory put the Serbian into his third grand slam final. The world number three made the US Open final in 2007, losing to Federer, but won the Australian Open the following season. At 23, he has time on his side and the game to match.

The biggest questions about him have revolved around temperament. He has been labeled a quitter whenever he has failed to finish a match.

In the third set against Federer, he repeatedly smashed himself in the head with his racket in an attempt to motivate himself. It worked and by the end, he was on his knees planting a sloppy kiss on the court.

"(I have) many, many more years to come. I look forward to it," he said. "I'm working hard on my game.”

“I'm getting some things together and hopefully on the court it's gonna pay off."

His victory robbed the tennis world of what might have been the ultimate grand slam final. Federer and Nadal have played each other in the Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open finals, but no two men have ever met in the finals of all four majors.

"I would have loved to play against him here," Federer said. "I won't watch but I hope he wins."

Clijsters won her first US Open title in 2005 but was unable to defend her crown because of an injury. She missed the next two years after taking time off to start a family.

She won it again last year in her comeback to grand slam tennis and Saturday's win saw her become the first woman to successfully defend her the crown since Venus Williams in 2001.

"When I started my US summer, the US Open was my main goal," Clijsters said. "It was a new situation for me as well, going back to the Grand Slam where I was actually defending my title for the first time.”

“Not having been able to do that in 2006 was frustrating at the time."

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Favorite Clijsters prepares for Zvonareva's best

Kim Clijsters (L) of Belgium is congratulated by Venus Williams of the US after winning their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York September 10, 2010

Photo: Reuters

If winning the US Open ever came down to a popularity contest, Kim Clijsters would be roared to victory every time.

The Belgian mother charmed the New York crowds last year when she celebrated an unlikely victory by fooling around with her infant daughter Jada on the center court.

Clijsters has won the hearts of the crowds again this year, despite reaching Saturday's final at the expense of the last American left standing in the singles draw, Venus Williams.

The 27-year-old came from behind to win 4-6 7-6 6-4 on Friday and will play Vera Zvonereva in the final after the Russian upset Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-3.

She is sure to be the favorite both the odds makers and the spectators in the stands.

She was a finalist at the US Open in 2004 then won the title in 2005. She missed the next three years, first through injury then after taking a break to start a family, before winning on her return in 2009.

Her winning streak now stands at 20 matches and the crowds have been lapping it up. It is as though her fairytale run to the title last year is being played out all over again.

The former world number one knows, however, that sentiment plays no part in professional tennis and her Russian opponent is dangerous, despite never having won a major title.

This year Zvonareva played her first grand slam final at Wimbledon and she has not dropped a set so far at Flushing Meadows. More worryingly for Clijsters, Zvonareva has won their last two clashes, both this year, after losing the first five.

Smart player

"She's a player who doesn't give you much,” Clijsters said. “She's always there, hangs in there."

"It's not that she has a game that's very unpredictable but what she does she does extremely well."

The seventh-seeded Zvonareva is not only one of the most improved players on the women's tour, she is also one of the smartest.

She combines her playing career with studying for a double degree and has learnt her lessons on the court as much as off it.

A year ago, she self-destructed in the quarterfinals in New York. This time, she has been a model of composure.

"As long as you know yourself and you know which emotions are good for you, which are bad, you can use it to your advantage," the 26-year-old said.

"I think that tennis is an emotional game and that you should show your emotions, because it shows that you are trying your best out there."

Although she has won their two most recent clashes, Zvonareva remains wary of the more experienced Clijsters.

"She's a great mover on the court,” Zvonareva said. “She has a lot of experience, she won here last year."

"It's going to be tough. We played a couple of matches in the past couple of months, but those matches are in the past."

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Venus and Clijsters set to renew old rivalry

Venus Williams of the US hits a return to Australia's Jarmila Groth of Australia at the 2010 Wimbledon tennis championships in London, June 28, 2010

Photo: Reuters

A rivalry spanning almost a decade will be rekindled on Friday when Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters square off for a place in the US Open final.

Both players have won the title twice but the stakes could hardly be higher when they meet in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. The winner will play either Caroline Wozniacki or Vera Zvonareva, who meet in the other semi, in Saturday's final in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Williams, who won the championship in 2000 and 2001, has not made the final in New York since 2002, when the American lost to her younger sister Serena, while Clijsters is trying to defend the title she won last year.

With Serena missing through injury this year, Venus has opted out of the doubles to focus on singles and her form so far has been illuminating, advancing to the last four without dropping a single set.

"I've always played pretty well here," said Venus. "I feel really comfortable here, and it's great to come back to a place where I have won and a place where I've played well.”

“So all in all, I feel positive."

Clijsters also has a great record at Flushing Meadows, winning her last 19 matches in New York. She won the title for the first time in 2005 but was injured then took a break to start a family.

The Belgian completed a fairytale return to New York when she won last season, celebrating her victory on court with her infant daughter, and says her unexpected success last year has provided her with the confidence she can do it again.

"It's something that you have to experience, obviously," she said. "I guess it's maybe like having a baby.”

“You can't explain it to somebody who has never had a baby what it's like to give birth, because it's a feeling that you can't describe unless it's happened to you."

The pair have played each other 12 times since 2001, winning six times each. Williams was the dominant player in their earlier clashes but Clijsters has won the last four, including a classic three-setter at last year's US Open quarterfinals.

"It was really close,” Williams said. “I'm sure that match made a big difference for her, because she went on to win the title."

"I'm sure we'll have another really good matchup but I'd like to kind of flip the way it turns out."

Wozniacki, promoted to the top seed this year because of the absence of world number one Serena, made the final against Clijsters in 2009 but is a more confident player now.

The 20-year-old won three lead-up events last month to finish as the leading point scorer in the US hard court series. If she wins the US Open she will collect a bonus cash prize of US$1 million and replace Serena atop the world rankings.

The Dane has sailed through her matches without dropping a set and developed a killer's instinct to finish off her opponents quickly.

"I'm really competitive," she said. "I really don't like losing."

The pair have played each other just four times before, all in the last two seasons, splitting them two apiece.

Zvonareva, six years older than Wozniacki, has taken longer to hit her straps and will be appearing in her first US Open semifinal, but the seventh-seeded Russian is now flush with confidence after reaching the Wimbledon final in July.

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Clijsters onto semifinal showdown with Venus

Kim Clijsters of Belgium serves to Samantha Stosur of Australia during the US Open tennis tournament in New York September 7, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Defending champion Kim Clijsters held off a gritty challenge from fifth-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur, surviving an error-filled three-set battle on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the US Open.

With both players struggling to hold serve in tricky winds on Arthur Ashe center court, the second-seeded Belgian steadied herself at the end to complete a 6-4 5-7 6-3 win that set up a showdown against American Venus Williams.

"This whole 10 days has been really tough to get used to the weather conditions," said Clijsters, referencing the severe heat earlier in the tournament and the gusting winds of late.

"Every match is just a battle and mentally you just have to try and beat it."

Clijsters stopped a string of six successive service breaks at the start of the final set to seize a 4-3 lead before breaking Stosur again and then holding serve to end the match.

The victory was the 19th in a row for Clijsters at Flushing Meadows, including her championship run in 2005. Injury and then a temporary retirement to begin a family kept her away from the tournament until her triumphant return last year.

Williams, like Clijsters a two-time US Open winner, was a straight-sets winner over French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the day's other women's quarterfinal.

French Open finalist Stosur, who saved four match points in defeating Russian Elena Dementieva in the fourth round, rose up again to force a third set, ending the last two games of the second set with forehand volleys to win her first set ever against Clijsters after three previous career defeats.

Stosur held serve to end the set after three successive service breaks in winds that made tosses difficult to manage. Clijsters made eight double faults in the 114-minute match.

The spate of service breaks to start the third set made for nine service breaks in a 10-game span before Clijsters righted the ship.

"I was just able to be a little more aggressive in that third set," the Belgian said. "Although my serve wasn't going as well as I would like it to go, I ended up winning."

Clijsters made 43 unforced errors and Stosur, who was up an early break in each of the sets, committed 36 in the mistake-filled, wind-tossed match.

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Clijsters and Roddick sail through at US Open

Andy Roddick of the US hits a return to Stephane Robert of France during the US Open tennis tournament in New York, August 30, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Kim Clijsters made a triumphant return to the US Open on Monday, capping her belated maiden appearance as a defending grand slam champion with a straight sets win over Hungarian Greta Arn.

Clijsters recovered from a brief lapse in concentration in the second set to win 6-0 7-5 at the start of a busy first day at Flushing Meadows featuring five former US Open winners.

American Andy Roddick, champion in 2003, celebrated his 28th birthday at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-3 6-2 6-2 romp of France's Stephane Robert, clearing the way for Roger Federer and Venus Williams to take the spotlight in the night matches.

Clijsters was not at her best against Arn, going 4-0 behind in the second set, but managed to dig herself out of trouble as she finally walked on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court as the defending champion.

It had been a long time coming for the second seed but she said the wait was worth it.

"Just to come out there and defend my title... I've never been in that position," she said. "It couldn't have come any faster.”

“I wanted it to happen for a while, and I was just excited to go out there."

Clijsters won the title for the first time in 2005 but missed the next three years, initially through a wrist injury and then when she took time off to start a family, before her fairytale comeback last year to capture a second crown.

Roddick, returning to the game from an injury-sapping illness, looked a picture of health in a straight sets win over Robert as the last grand slam of the season began under brilliant blue skies and stifling summer heat.

"Conditions are a little tricky out there,” said Roddick, who fired just eight aces. “The wind blows a little out there.”

Few surprises

Five-time champion Federer and two-time winner Williams were scheduled to start their tournaments in the featured night session while Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 champion, was booked to open his tourney inside the Louis Armstrong stadium.

The notable absentees from the list of former champions were the 2009 men's winner Juan Martin Del Potro, who withdrew because of a long-term injury, and Serena Williams, who withdrew after slicing her foot on broken glass in July.

The opening skirmishes produced few real surprises with Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 Australian Open runner-up, the first seed to make an early exit. He retired from his match with Croatian qualifier Ivan Dodig because of a knee injury.

Sweden's two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling was lucky not to lose to another qualifier before he regained his composure to beat Austria's Andreas Haider-Maurer 7-5 6-3 6-7 5-7 6-4.

Italy's reigning French Open winner Francesca Schiavone and Russian baseliner Nikolay Davydenko both made light work of their first round opponents.

Schiavone barely broke a sweat as she eased past Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-1 6-0 in under an hour while Davydenko, a two-time semifinalist in New York, was not tested in his 6-4 6-1 6-3 victory over American Michael Russell.

Unseeded American teenager Melanie Oudin also made a flying start after she opened proceedings on center court following her unexpected run to the quarterfinals last year.

Oudin has struggled to reach those dizzy heights this year, winning just one match at the year's three other grand slams, but the familiarity of the US Open hard courts brought out her best as she dumped Ukrainian qualifier Olga Savchuk 6-3 6-0.

"It's a real honor to get to start the US Open off on Ashe, first match," Oudin said. "I thought it was pretty cool, I didn't expect that."

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Federer and Clijsters to lead parade of champions

Roger Federer of Switzerland speaks during a media conference at the US Open tennis tournament August 28, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Switzerland's Roger Federer and Belgian Kim Clijsters are among five former champions in action on a busy opening day at the US Open Monday.

The pair will be joined by Americans Venus Williams and Andy Roddick in playing their opening matches on the Arthur Ashe center court while another former champion, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, begins his campaign on the Louis Armstrong stadium.

Federer won the men's championship five times on the trot from 2004 to 2008 but will not start the event as the defending champion after his loss to Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in last year's final.

Del Potro is absent this year because of injury but another Argentine, Brian Dabul, will be in the spotlight when he faces Federer in the first round.

“Maybe there is an extra incentive for me to try to win it again after being two points away last year,” Federer told reporters. "It was a disappointing loss for me, I felt like that was one of the finals I should never have lost.”

"At the end Del Potro played great and deserved the victory, it was a tough one to swallow."

With Del Potro away, Clijsters is the lone defending champion. She plays Hungarian Greta Arn first up.

Clijsters won in 2005 but did not get the chance to defend her title in 2006 because of injury. She missed the event in 2007 and 2008 after taking time out to start a family before a fairytale return last year.

"I'm so excited to be back to defend my title,” she said. “This is a first for me."

Roddick, who won his only grand slam title at New York in 2003, has been plagued by illness in recent months but the prospect of returning to the center court has given him a boost.

He plays Frenchman Stephane Robert in his first match which coincides with his 28th birthday.

"Birthday or no birthday, you come in to try to win one," he said.

"I don't think too much about age, numbers, whatever. I'll play till I can, until I feel like I shouldn't anymore."

Williams, who will fly the family flag after her sister Serena withdrew because of a foot injury, won the US Open in 2000 and 2001 and was runner-up in 1997 and 2002, has also been troubled by injuries but said she was fit and raring to go in her first match against Italian Roberta Vinci.

"Theoretically I've had more rest than everyone, I should be fresh," Williams said.

Hewitt, who won here in 2001, is one of two Australians in action at Louis Armstrong Stadium. He plays Paul-Henri Mathieu of France after Samantha Stosur, this year's runner-up at the French Open, faces Elena Vesnina.

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