Daniela Hantuchova shocks injury-stricken Kim Clijsters to reach the Brisbane final – Tennis Special
A former world number five, Daniela Hantuchova, lost the opener but was leading in the second set before the fifth seed, Kim Clijsters, was forced to retire due to a hip injury at the Brisbane International 2012 on Friday. She earned a 6-7(4), 3-1 retirement victory over the Belgian number one to advance into the title-round of this first WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) event of 2012.
Ranked 24th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Hantuchova found her tenth meeting lucky, as she earned a victory for the first time against the Belgian. She not only lowered the trail in the head-to-head series by 1-9 against Clijsters but also inched closer to her fifth WTA career title.
World number 13, Clijsters made a shaky start and after gifting away her opening serve, she eventually went 3-0 down. Despite recovering in the seventh game, she lost her serve again in the following game and went 5-3 down. However, the Belgian recovered again in the ninth game and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. She kept her dominance and clinched the opener with a 7-6(4) win.
The frustrated Slovak made a fitting reply in the following set as she capitalised on a break opportunity in the very first game. However, when Hantuchova held her serve in the fourth game, the Belgian suffered a severe hip injury and was forced to retire.
"I felt my left hip getting tighter and tighter, to the point I couldn't go forward with my upper body or put pressure on it when I was landing on my serve," Clijsters said of her injury. "I think it was the smartest choice to stop and not let it get any worse.”
Overall, the Slovakian super star clobbered almost an equal first serve share of 66 percent and clinched an impressive 31 out of 43 points on it. Through her tremendous defensive skills, she dusted away 10 out of 12 breakpoints she came across and converted three out of six break chances to her advantage. Hantuchova also hammered five aces and finished with 63 points in contrast with Clijsters’ 62.
"I'm really enjoying my tennis at the moment. Even after I lost the first set, I felt if I could keep playing this way I could still win the match. And I started well in the second set," the Slovak stated after the match.
Next up for the 28-year-old Hantuchova is the high flying Estonian, Kaia Kanepi, who after upsetting a number of top seed players, shocked Francesca Schiavone with a bagel to reach this spot. Facing each other for the seventh time, the 26-year-old Estonian faced no breakpoint and capitalised on five out of eight break opportunities to seal the deal with a 6-3, 6-0 victory in under an hour.
"I have to play my own game - be aggressive, be patient, serve well," the Estonian said of the final.
In my view, Hantuchova needs to find her rhythm quickly and should play her natural aggressive game in the final showdown. However, the Slovak should minimise the unforced errors and double faults she spills. If the veteran keeps her momentum and intensity, she could not only conquer Brisbane but also reach far at the Australian Open, first of the four Grand Slam events.
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