Clijsters Shows She Can Still Win

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Jul 30, 2008
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It was late in the third phase of the deeply compartmentalized match between Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters, and the largely American crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium had unmistakably chosen its favorite.
In a reflection of the power of new motherhood and the lure of an excellent comeback tale, the choice would not be Williams, the dignified seven-time Grand Slam singles champion from the United States. Instead the biggest roars of approval down the stretch would be reserved for the powerfully built Belgian on the other side of the net.
“Thank you guys so much for helping me,” Clijsters told the crowd after she had provided the latest and strongest evidence that she is back for real by beating Williams by the mood-swinging score of 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 in the fourth round.
Clijsters, once a world No. 1, was a fan favorite before she retired in May 2007, weary of the grind, the injuries and the sometimes cutthroat nature of her workplace, and eager to start a family and delve into the quotidian delights of what she once called “normal life.”
But since her return to the circuit last month at 26 with her husband, Brian Lynch, and 1-year-old daughter, Jada, in tow, a different kind of compact has been established with her public.
“I think so many people can relate,” said Lynch, an American former professional basketball player. “How many woman in the world have a child and try to make it work with their career?”
With Clijsters in only her third tournament since her comeback, these are early days to draw conclusions about what place she will occupy in the game. Her body has proved fragile in the past, her nerves suspect under the greatest pressure. But the early evidence in her favor is compelling. Her power, movement and athleticism are clearly intact. Although both she and the third-seeded Williams went through deep, if brief, slumps Sunday, when they were both patrolling the baseline and ripping through their ground strokes, it was a thoroughly up-to-date spectacle.
“Look, Kim’s a top 10 player already, even if the ranking doesn’t show it,” said David Witt, Venus Williams’s longtime hitting partner. “What happened today was not any surprise to anyone who’s already seen her play this season.”
Clijsters is now 9-2 since her comeback. Her defeats were against the world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati and to the former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic in the third round in Toronto: where she led 5-3 in the third set before her consistency and her forehand failed her.
“Although I lost to Jankovic, it really helped me a lot knowing that I was capable of taking her to a 5-3 in that third set,” Clijsters said. “That’s where, after Toronto, I felt like, O.K. I feel at this moment I can compete with those best players.”
Now, she knows she can beat them, too. Sunday’s victory was her third straight over Williams. Their most recent match was here in the Open quarterfinals in 2005. Clijsters went on to win the title that year, her only Grand Slam singles title.
There were still hints of trouble late on. Serving for the match, she fell behind 15-40 with three unforced errors.
“I’m not even going to tell you what was going on in my mind,” Clijsters said. “I was shaking. My arm felt like 50 pounds or more. But I just told myself: Look, don’t give it away like that. Just try to play aggressive tennis and let her come up with a good shot to win it.”
Easy to say; so very tricky to do with a motivated, if diminished Williams, waiting pokerfaced for the next serve. Clijsters managed to take a deep breath and execute: reapplying pressure from inside the baseline with the crowd providing nothing but positive reinforcement. Williams kept cracking first, groaning after putting a forehand in the net on her second break point.
A backhand unforced error gave Clijsters match point, and she sent a first serve to the corner past Williams. As it bounced into the stands, Clijsters brought her hands to her face and was soon in tears after the polite handshake.
“I think it was the emotions of that last game especially, and the crowd and everything,” she said. “It just all built up, and it just came out as soon as it was over.”
It was a compelling finish to a profoundly strange match. Clijsters utterly dominated the first set, punishing Williams’s serve and ruling the baseline exchanges. Clijsters could not come close to sustaining her form, losing the second set in 23 minutes by the same score as Williams cut her error rate and finished off points at the net.
“Very weird,” Clijsters said.
It was only in the third set that the two former rivals renewed their rivalry in earnest.
“She played so well, hit a lot of deep balls, just played really consistently and aggressively at the right times,” said Williams, before heading out to Armstrong Stadium to take some solace in playing doubles with her sister Serena. (They beat Sorana Cirstea and Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-2.)
At 29, Williams pushes on despite the white tape on her ailing left knee, an unwelcome fashion accessory. There were occasional grimaces and winces in the third set.
“It’s frustrating for her to come here and not be 100 percent,” said Williams’s mother and coach, Oracene Price.
But Price could clearly appreciate the Clijsters phenomenon; she clapped for some of her winners herself.
“I think she’s come back fresh, rejuvenated and just eager to play,” Price said. “And she sees the value in it more than she did when she left.”
 
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