NEW YORK – With the vast majority of its stars teetering this year, the women’s game needed a player to step up and challenge the ferocious and occasionally overly aggressive Serena Williams, who had won three of the last four majors.
It could have been one of the talented yet fragile Russians, like Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina, or one of the enigmatic Serbians, Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic. But for a variety of reasons, none were up to the task on a consistent basis at the majors, much less at the US Open, so in stepped former No. 1 Kim Clijsters, just 18 months past the birth of her daughter Jada and itching to get back to competition.
A daughter of a former soccer star, Clijsters was born to run, bred to compete, taught to lace the tennis ball. She returned to the tour in just as good shape, wiser, more aware of her weapons and her options on the court. She had few of the nerves that saw her lose four Grand Slams finals earlier this decade, and maybe a little bit more ambitious.
And just like that in New York, down went seven time Slam champion Venus Williams, down went the raging 11-time Slam titlist Serena Williams and in the Sunday evening final, down went the ambitious Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3. The bubbly yet bold Belgian became the first mother since Evonne Goolagong at 1980 Wimbledon to win a major.
“This is something that in my wildest dreams I could never imagine happening,” said Clijsters, who also won the 2005 US Open.
