Kim Conquers Miami
April 03, 2010
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/news/20100403/kim-conquers-miami_2256076_2014266
MIAMI, FL, USA - The Williams sisters have consistently been the most
successful players in Miami, but for the second straight year one of tennis'
favorite sister act was routed in the final of the $4.5-million tournament.
Coming in on a 15-match winning streak and leading the head-to-head, Venus
Williams just couldn't overcome this time, and Kim Clijsters rolled to a 62 61
victory, the Sony Ericsson Open title and a return to the world Top 10
rankings.
Given their form coming in, it looked like the stage was set for some
fireworks. Williams had only dropped one set along the way, to Daniela
Hantuchova in the fourth round, where she rallied from 61 20 down to win;
Clijsters was the same, storming into the semis without losing a set and, in
an absolute thriller, edging out fellow former No.1 Justine Henin in a third
set tie-break. Both had played solid tennis, and both had won the Miami
tournament before.
On Championship Saturday, however, it was a mismatch. Perhaps the Williams
win streak caught up with her, or Clijsters felt a new breath of life after
a near brush with defeat against Henin; whatever the cause the scoreboard
said it all, and Clijsters took her second Sony Ericsson Open in a 58-minute
rout, 62 61.
"I knew I had to come out here and play well," Clijsters said. "My semifinal
was such an exciting match, I just tried to keep going from there and not lose
a beat, especially playing against someone like Venus, a great competitor and
a great athlete. She's one of the best players women's tennis has ever had."
Off-court activities, trophy shots, Alicia Keys... see all the pics right now!
Clijsters won her 37th Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title, her second in Miami. She
also won the prestigious title in 2005.
"I was so excited to come back here," Clijsters said. "It's nice to go back
to tournaments where you've done well. It's great to play in such a
beautiful stadium and it was organized so well, which makes everything so
much er when you're travelling with a family."
Clijsters tied Monica Seles for fourth-most hardcourt titles in the Open Era
with 28 (Graf, Davenport and Evert have 37, 34 and 32, respectively).
See some of the best moments of Kim's pre-retirement career here!
"Congrats to Kim. What a great tournament she had, and she played really well
today," Williams said. "It wasn't my best day but I'll be back next year."
Williams, who had won Miami three times before (1998, 1999, 2001) and who was
coming in off of back-to-back titles in Dubai and Acapulco, was clearly not
at her best: over 30 unforced errors in the match and, at one point, her left
knee getting taped up. In one stretch, Clijsters won 17 straight points.
"Sometimes when you hit a few bad shots it's not as easy to reel it in. Every
now and then it happens to the best of us. I think this actually happened to
Kim in Australia, so she knows what it's like," Williams said. "But I was
always thinking about getting back into the match, at at every point. But
that's sport. I expect a lot from myself, of course, but I'll be ready for my
next competition."
Check out some of the best moments of Venus' career right here!
In the 2009 final, Victoria Azarenka beat a struggling Serena Williams handily,
63 61. Azarenka lost to Clijsters in the fourth round this year; the younger
Williams has an injured knee and hasn't played since Australia.
Clijsters will now transition to clay as a wildcard into Marbella next week.
"I've never been much of a fan of clay, but I'm looking forward to adjusting
my movement and working hard to get used to it again. I'm not going to totally
change my game but I'll have to bring up a few details in my mind again!"