Home Articles Australian Open 'Aussie Kim' Clinches Title
'Aussie Kim' Clinches Title
Saturday, 29 January 2011 23:15
by Kelvin Goodchild
SM_CLIJSTERS_A02011_D13_032‘Lastly, I just want to say that now, I finally feel like you guys can call me ‘Aussie Kim’, because I won the title’.

So said Kim Clijsters in her victory speech after holding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft for the first time in her career.

The joy, relief and satisfaction were all evident in the tears shed by Clijsters as the last point was secured at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne yesterday.

‘Yeah, they're all emotional. Obviously, you know, I think what overwhelms me is that it's so intense up until, you know, that last shot, and then all of a sudden it's finished. Then it's just like a big relief.

‘But to win it in this way means it a lot. I think it's that moment that overwhelms you, where your mind has been so focused, I'm fighting every shot, running a lot of balls down, and it's finished. That's what makes it just nice, and I guess this big relief that kind of just, yeah, overwhelms you a little bit.’

She was made to earn the victory by Li who, after a nervous two first games in which she did not win a point, played a scintillating first set-and-a half of tennis.

The Chinese player is known for blazing away at her opponent on the other side of the net, and she was obviously determined to stick with the status quo despite this being her first Grand Slam final.

The two had met six times previously with Clijsters edging the head-to-head statistics 4-2, but Li had beaten the Belgian in their most recent match at the Sydney International earlier this month.

On that occasion Li had come from a 5-0 deficit in the first set to win her fourth WTA title, 7-6, 6-3.

Facing an athlete who had already experienced seven Grand Slam finals and won three of them, and being on the verge of becoming the first Chinese player -man or woman - to win one of the four major international tennis titles, you could forgive Li Na if she was feeling the pressure of the situation a little.

‘Never. Like today, people ask me, Are you nervous? I say, No. I just feel like first match. Why you think about this is final. Just first match, just go play. Yeah.’

Nervous she may not have been, but for the first two games of the first set at least, the normally free swinging Li did seem to be SM_LI_A02011_D13_005playing a little tight.

Then it was all on, Li sparking to life and taking control of the match.

First she held serve then broke Clijsters to even the game up at 2-2. After both held serve in the next two games it was the Belgian showing signs of fragility making unforced errors in her fourth service game, one of which gave Li another break and a 4-3 lead.

The number nine seed isn’t the hardest server on tour but she was getting great depth in both her first and second serves and coupled with some neat baseline winners she consolidated her break to take the game out to 5-3 in her favour.

Her seventh clean winner gave her another break over the higher ranked player, and with it, the set in a swift 39 minutes.

Like Wozniacki before her, Clijsters was going to have to do something different, change her game, if she was going to get back in this match. She was not on the ropes just yet but soon would be if she didn’t get her act together.

Four consecutive breaks in the second set saw it level at 2-2. Clijsters was starting to mix the game up hitting some deep looping strokes and executing a few sublime drop shots to give the Chinese player plenty to think about.

Still you felt that this game was Li’s for the taking. She was still hitting some fine winners from both her forehand and backhand sides and did not lack courage, coming to the net off the back of some probing drives down the line and cross-court, finishing off points early by taking returns on the full, volleying into vacant parts of Clijsters’ court.

SM_CLIJSTERS_A02011_D13_009Clijsters – who had not dropped a set in the tournament before the final - had been forced by Li into playing her game well behind the baseline in the first set. In the second set she fought her way back inch by inch into a more advanced hitting zone.

Midway through the second set Clijsters was hitting her straps, going back to what she knew best.

Her ground stokes were being hit with the speed of tracer bullets and she was returning Li’s previously unreturnables through sheer guts and determination to run shots down.

A thrilling clean backhand winner down the line gave her a third break and breathing space at last in
the second set.

With Li distracted by her fans trying to ‘teach me how to play tennis’ Clijsters clinched the second set, another probing drive forcing herSM_LI_A02011_D13_002 opponent to net on set point.

‘I mean, I don't know why after I come to the final so many China coaches coaching me on the court.

‘They can talk, but not during the point, you know. Yeah. Maybe they're so exciting, I don't know.’

Clijsters was turning the screws and it was all downhill from there. She wasn’t going to muck around and give Li a chance to get back in the match.

At 2-1 and Deuce on Li’s serve she double faulted then shanked a backhand cross-court well wide, the end was nigh.

Clijsters almost ended the match how she started it, a dog’s whisker keeping her from an ace on match point.

Post match Clijsters was in buoyant mood thanking everyone from her dentist who fixed a chip on her tooth to her uncle and his lucky green pants to her manager, trainer, husband and family.

She also paid tribute to her opponent.

‘Yeah, I mean, she did everything better than me in that first set. I mean, obviously her ground strokes were heavier, deeper. She served better. She returned better.
 

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