Sept. 11: Kim Clijsters advanced to her fourth US Open final after winning a titanic centre court battle against Venus Williams. A third title is now within her reach. The only person left standing in her way is Russia’s Vera Zvonareva, who upset the tournament’s number one seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to reach her first singles final in New York.
Clijsters had to work much harder to earn her place in Saturday’s final but got there in the end, defeating the former world number one 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 after they slugged it out for almost two and a half hours. A year ago, Clijsters provided one of the great fairytale stories of modern tennis when she returned to the game after dropping out to start a family. This year is not so much a storybook as a sequel. “Obviously it means a lot to be in the final and to give myself a chance to defend my title from last year,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Williams had her chance to win the match but her serve, the fastest in women’s tennis, let her down when she needed it most. Zvonareva has been one of the most improved players in the women’s game over the last two seasons, making her first grand slam semi-final in Australia last year then her first final at Wimbledon in July.
“I always believe I can beat anyone on the other side of the net if I’m able to play my best tennis. I know I’m not gonna play perfect tennis all the time, like most of the players, but that’s what we are all trying to do,” Zvonareva said.