In an awesome match, Kim won 5-3 7-6; the score in the tiebreak was 10-8 ! Kim Clijsters won for the 1st time a set against Maria Sharapova since the US Open 2005 ! Clijsters played a lot better than she did against Patty Schnyder, her serve was going strong, and she played with a lot of variety. They went on serve till 3-3 when Clijsters decided to accelerate and Maria Sharapova started to commit Unforced Errors. Kim Clijsters took the set 6-3;
In the second set Kim took a break up immediately, but Maria fought back and tied at 2-2. Then Kim was always one point down (since Maria started serving), but both held serve till the tiebreak.
A few brilliant winners from Maria and a few errors from Kim and the latter was 1-4 down in the tiebreak.
But Kim came back to 4-4 and at 6-5 had even a matchpoint, but (like in her match ag. Patty) Kim committed 2 double faults in a row, which gave Maria setpoint. With a brilliant return of serve Kim levelled again. A second matchpoint was enough to win this time.
In the final of the silver group Svetlana forfeit with a bronchitis and was replaced by Caroline Wozniaki, who won ag. Yan Zi 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Caroline Wozniacki replaced Sveta in the doubles with Kim too. They won 8-6 ag. Zheng/Yan in a “long set”.
So Kim won both the singles an the doubles !
Kim considered it as ” a good preparation for Sydney”; she enjoyed the tournament very much. The weather was good, and the fact that she played it for the last time made it a special event for her.
Kim Clijsters Semi’s finale at the Watson Water Champions Challenge
Kim lost the 1st set 4-6 ag. Patty but leads 4-3 (one break up) in the 2nd.
After a real struggle Kim won 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Patty rebroke twice in each set. In the 3rd Kim went up 5-2, but patty again closed the gap to 5-4 when Kim at last could finish it off. Kim sometimes got frustrated by her partly mediocre game, but got through on character. But well played by Patty.
The final ag. Maria won’t be a piece of cake….but Maria needed also 3 sets ag. Elena.
And Kim plays both finals.
I heard Kim would want to play doubles with Patty at the Proximus Diamond Games (12-18th Febr).
Kim at the Watson Waters Challenge Hong-Kong; 1st match ag. Jie Zheng
As we all know, Kim won this event last year, and has again a possibility to defend her title here for the last time.
On the 3rd Jan. first match ag. Jie Zheng.
HONG KONG (AP) — Defending champion Kim Clijsters kicked off her final season with a 6-3, 6-2 win Wednesday over Zheng Jie in the quarterfinals of the Champions Challenge, a warmup for the Australian Open.
The fifth-ranked Clijsters broke Zheng’s serve in the opening game and led 4-1. Zheng, the reigning Wimbledon women’s doubles champion and Asian Games gold medalist, struggled with Clijsters powerful and deep ground strokes.
Zheng broke back to pull to 4-3 before Clijsters held. She then broke Zheng on a deep backhand return to take the first set 6-3.
Zheng broke Clijsters in the first game of the second set, but Clijsters broke back in the fourth to even it at 2-2. The 23-year-old Belgian held her next service game, then broke Zheng after a marathon game to go up 4-2. She later broke serve to win the match, helped by two double faults by Zheng.
After match comment.
“I’ve been doing so many exercises for the wrist, for the knee, for the hip, for the back, the whole body almost. At one stage, I was completely sick of it,” she said.
She plans to be selective in choosing tournaments this year to ease the stress on her body and focus on better results.
“I need to pick and choose just because of my body. I want to play well in the tournaments where I want to do well,” Clijsters said.
