Kim Clijsters battles against weather, Sharapova to win Cincinnati Women’s Open
Bad weather and Maria Sharapova failed to stop Kim Clijsters from winning the Cincinnati Women’s Open on Sunday in Mason, Ohio. With an expected storm, Kim Clijsters panicked that the unwelcoming rain would decelerate her performance. Nevertheless, the Belgian fought against the downpour and her opponent to clinch the title.
With her dexterity, the Belgian player managed to overcome three match points during the game. She defeated Russian tennis sensation Maria Sharapova with a final score of 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 to win prize money of $2 million.
The delay due to the storm took place in the second set. When asked about the abrupt changes in the climate, Clijsters said, “At that time I was unsure about the game. However, I did not feel that it would bring me much trouble. So I decided to take a break and prepare myself for the later sets.”
The Belgian star is currently ranked as the number seventh player in women rankings and is the defending champion of the U.S. Open. Although the 27-year-old player lost her first set, she managed to outlive her opponent by connecting only 52 percent of her first serves.
When questioned about the game, the promising tennis star said, “Before the match started, I had a negative feel and then a positive feel. It was like two feelings taking over, one trying to overcome the other. But the best thing was that I felt wonderful while playing my ground strokes. This proved to be particularly good because my serve was wavering. Instantly, I knew I had to battle hard, to take it to the top. I wasn’t starting for 0-0. I was starting to win the title.”
Kim was only able to make it to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Women’s Open in 2009. It was her first attempt after her comeback from retirement where Kim came in as a wildcard a wild card entrant.
Her opponent, Maria Sharapova started off really well. She managed to defeat Kim in the first set of the game. Since Clijsters seemed to be losing focus in the initial segments of the match, Sharapova took advantage and played to her fullest to bring her rival down.
The second set was going in favour of Sharapova when suddenly she felt pain in her left heel in the last games of the set. The 74-minute rain delay turned the tables around for Maria, as she struggled to retain her momentum in the last games of the second set. The unexpected agony stopped the combating Russian which played its toll on her agility.
While speaking to the press, the second comer of the event said, “I did not have enough time to see my physician and get the heel checked. The pain just struck me out of the blue, and it was agonizing. I need to speak to a doctor before I can say anything further.”
Sharapova is unsure whether the pain would halt her from competing in the upcoming tennis tournament in Montreal.
Clijsters had taken a month off after the 2010 Wimbledon Championship. Her initial play seemed to be detracted with her, hitting only half of Sharapova’s winners and coming up with 17 unforced errors. While Maria was enjoying three aces, the Belgian double-faulted seven times.
The former number one player, although distressed by her performance, continued on with the struggle. Soon the court went dark and the lights were turned on but the downpour was so intense that the match had to be stopped.
The ceased play gave the Belgian to rethink her moves and strategies which helped Kim significantly in the later part of the game.
While commenting on her opponent, Sharapova said, “The weather helped Kim focus on her game. She thought over about her moves and decided what she shouldn’t do and should do during the match. The rain gave her a chance to think about having a different approach towards the game. And this helped her improve remarkably. She came back and played extremely well.”
Tags: