Kim Clijsters will not play at the U.S. Open, making Wimbledon the last Grand Slam tournament of her career.
The fourth-ranked Belgian will also play doubles at Wimbledon, which starts June 25, in case of an early exit from the singles.
"That way, I would be able to stay a bit longer at my last Grand Slam tournament," Clijsters said on her Web site. She has not yet decided if it will be mixed or women's doubles.
After losing to Li Na of China in Key Biscayne last month, Clijsters complained about a bad back and has found it tough to resume training.
"The will is not fully there yet, but I want to get used to clay again," Clijsters said before her next appearance at the J&S Cup in Warsaw, where she is the defending champion. The tournament starts April 30.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Teenage sub for Serena Williams clinches U.S. win
With Serena Williams sidelined, Fed Cup teammate Vania King showed she can do more than sing.
The 18-year-old King won raves for her rendition of the national anthem to start the weekend, then substituted Sunday for Williams and sealed the U.S. team's victory over Belgium.
King beat Kirsten Flipkens 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, giving the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead en route to a 5-0 victory. They'll face Russia in the semifinals after Wimbledon.
Serena and Venus Williams won in singles Saturday, then became cheerleaders rooting from the bench for King.
"It's a great feeling, because they're champions I really look up to," King said. "It's really honoring."
"She had a great performance," Serena Williams said. "It was a pressure match, because it was the clincher. She was down a lot, but she was able to come back. I thought it was a great match."
Williams pulled out a few hours before she was to face Flipkens, citing soreness in her right knee diagnosed as slight inflammation. She said the knee started bothering her before Saturday's match, but she didn't think it would hamper her preparation for the French Open next month.
The 18-year-old King won raves for her rendition of the national anthem to start the weekend, then substituted Sunday for Williams and sealed the U.S. team's victory over Belgium.
King beat Kirsten Flipkens 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, giving the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead en route to a 5-0 victory. They'll face Russia in the semifinals after Wimbledon.
Serena and Venus Williams won in singles Saturday, then became cheerleaders rooting from the bench for King.
"It's a great feeling, because they're champions I really look up to," King said. "It's really honoring."
"She had a great performance," Serena Williams said. "It was a pressure match, because it was the clincher. She was down a lot, but she was able to come back. I thought it was a great match."
Williams pulled out a few hours before she was to face Flipkens, citing soreness in her right knee diagnosed as slight inflammation. She said the knee started bothering her before Saturday's match, but she didn't think it would hamper her preparation for the French Open next month.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Golovin, Petrova advance to final
France's Tatiana Golovin moved a step closer to her first WTA Tour singles title, beating Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in cold and windy conditions Saturday in the Bausch & Lomb semifinals.
The eighth-seeded Golovin, 0-3 in WTA Tour finals, will face top-seeded Nadia Petrova, a 7-6 (4), 6-1 winner over Sybille Bammer.
"The conditions were very, very tough to handle. It was windy and it was really cold out there," Golovin said. "I was proud of myself because I was able to keep at it. We both could have played better."
It was the French teen's first win over the sixth-seeded Ivanovic in six tries, but the outcome could have easily been a sixth consecutive loss.
The two 19-year-old players battled on serve into the 10th game of the first set, when at 30-30, Ivanovic made a pair of unforced errors to hand Golovin the first set.
Ivanovic won the second set to even the match, and had numerous chances to gain the upper hand in the third set.
She had at least one breakpoint opportunity in each of Golovin's first four service games in the third set, including eight chances in the first three games. But she was only able to convert on the eighth chance, to shave Golovin's lead to 4-2.
"I had chances in all of those games, but she served very well today and played some very good points in some deciding moments which obviously was a key today," Ivanovic said.
Even when she held a 5-2 lead in the third set, Golovin said she didn't feel secure.
The eighth-seeded Golovin, 0-3 in WTA Tour finals, will face top-seeded Nadia Petrova, a 7-6 (4), 6-1 winner over Sybille Bammer.
"The conditions were very, very tough to handle. It was windy and it was really cold out there," Golovin said. "I was proud of myself because I was able to keep at it. We both could have played better."
It was the French teen's first win over the sixth-seeded Ivanovic in six tries, but the outcome could have easily been a sixth consecutive loss.
The two 19-year-old players battled on serve into the 10th game of the first set, when at 30-30, Ivanovic made a pair of unforced errors to hand Golovin the first set.
Ivanovic won the second set to even the match, and had numerous chances to gain the upper hand in the third set.
She had at least one breakpoint opportunity in each of Golovin's first four service games in the third set, including eight chances in the first three games. But she was only able to convert on the eighth chance, to shave Golovin's lead to 4-2.
"I had chances in all of those games, but she served very well today and played some very good points in some deciding moments which obviously was a key today," Ivanovic said.
Even when she held a 5-2 lead in the third set, Golovin said she didn't feel secure.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Hantuchova upsets Kuznetsova at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, California, March 17 (Reuters) - Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia won her first title in five years when she upset second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-4 in the Pacific Life Open final on Saturday.
Number 14 seed Hantuchova won her maiden title at the same tournament in 2002, beating Martina Hingis in the final.
"There's something special about this place. I love it," Hantuchova told reporters. "I had exactly the same feeling like I had against Martina in 2002. I just knew that I was gonna enjoy myself out there, and not for one second I didn't believe in myself.
"I was just so confident from the first point, and I didn't really think about the score.
"I just went out there and tried to play my game and really just enjoying every moment on the court."
Hantuchova was brilliant on the day, ripping 27 winners and only committing 14 unforced errors.
Hantuchova controlled the court, serving powerfully and consistently, finding the corners with her groundstrokes and attacking Kuznetsova's second serves.
The Slovak came into the match with a 2-5 win-loss record against Kuznetsova and was beaten by her two weeks ago in the semi-finals of Doha.
Clijsters doubts she will play U.S. Open in her farewell year
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Don't expect too much from Kim Clijsters during her farewell season.
After pulling out of the French Open, the Belgian announced she also might drop the U.S. Open from her schedule because her honeymoon with American basketball player Brian Lynch is just weeks before the Aug. 27-Sept. 9 Grand Slam tennis tournament.
As for Wimbledon, she again plans to take it easy.
"I'll be doing some cooking and will be training a bit," Clijsters said Monday on her Web site.
The fifth-ranked Belgian could limit herself to about six events before bowing out at the WTA event in Stuttgart, Germany, from Oct. 1-7.
"Tennis is nearly over. A couple of more tournaments, saying goodbye mostly and then enjoying having fun with the other players," Clijsters said.
The 23-year-old Clijsters has been battling injuries for much of her career, and increasingly so over the last few years. In 2006, a left wrist injury prevented her from entering the U.S. Open to defend her title, and from playing in the Fed Cup final.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Mauresmo wins diamond racket, beating Clijsters in Diamond Games final
Amelie Mauresmo won enough diamonds to last a lifetime. Kim Clijsters will have to do with golden memories.
Mauresmo won a $1.3 million diamond-studded racket trophy Sunday, beating Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the final of the Diamond Games tournament.
The victory spoiled Clijsters' farewell home match before a frenetic crowd of 14,500 at the Sports Palace. The 23-year-old Belgian has said she will retire at the end of the season.
"I too am a bit disappointed, because everyone wanted Kim to win. Sorry," Mauresmo said to the sellout crowd of 14,500 at the Sports Palace.
The 8.8-pound gold racket trophy studded with 1,702 diamonds was for the first player to win three titles in any five-year span, and after victories in 2005 and last year, the Frenchwoman was bent on winning again.
"I said all week I didn't think about it, but honestly I thought about it the whole week," Mauresmo said.
The world's third-ranked player was much more enterprising with her moves to the net while Clijsters, fourth in the rankings, never got her serve working.
"The important point is to play your best against the best," Mauresmo said.
Mauresmo won a $1.3 million diamond-studded racket trophy Sunday, beating Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the final of the Diamond Games tournament.
The victory spoiled Clijsters' farewell home match before a frenetic crowd of 14,500 at the Sports Palace. The 23-year-old Belgian has said she will retire at the end of the season.
"I too am a bit disappointed, because everyone wanted Kim to win. Sorry," Mauresmo said to the sellout crowd of 14,500 at the Sports Palace.
The 8.8-pound gold racket trophy studded with 1,702 diamonds was for the first player to win three titles in any five-year span, and after victories in 2005 and last year, the Frenchwoman was bent on winning again.
"I said all week I didn't think about it, but honestly I thought about it the whole week," Mauresmo said.
The world's third-ranked player was much more enterprising with her moves to the net while Clijsters, fourth in the rankings, never got her serve working.
"The important point is to play your best against the best," Mauresmo said.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Serena supreme; Williams wins eighth, and most unlikely, Grand Slam title
Serena Williams always takes handwritten notes onto the court, as useful reminders or for motivation.
This time, she wrote one word: Yetunde.
Memories of her slain half-sister inspired Williams to a 6-1, 6-2 win over top-seeded Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final -- her eighth Grand Slam title, her first since winning here in 2005, and her most improbable.
"Usually I write, 'Look at the ball, move forward, do this, do that.' Today I just had one word. My note was just `Yetunde.'
"Every changeover I looked at it and I just thought about how happy she would have been ... about what an amazing sister she was to me. I just said, 'Serena, this has to be more than enough to motivate me.' And I think it was."
This time, she wrote one word: Yetunde.
Memories of her slain half-sister inspired Williams to a 6-1, 6-2 win over top-seeded Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final -- her eighth Grand Slam title, her first since winning here in 2005, and her most improbable.
"Usually I write, 'Look at the ball, move forward, do this, do that.' Today I just had one word. My note was just `Yetunde.'
"Every changeover I looked at it and I just thought about how happy she would have been ... about what an amazing sister she was to me. I just said, 'Serena, this has to be more than enough to motivate me.' And I think it was."
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