Kim Clijsters crashes out of Wimbledon
Kim Clijsters has crashed out of Wimbledon, with the US Open champion defeated in three sets by Vera Zvonareva in the quarter-finals.
After starting the match the stronger of the two, Clijsters was unable to match the Russian in the second and third sets as she ran away with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Zvonareva held break point in Clijsters’ opening service game, but it was saved by the eighth seed who then created a triple break point opportunity in the fourth game of the match after chasing down a Zvonareva dropshot and whipping the forehand down the line. All three opportunities went begging, however, and some deft touch on a difficult stop volley handed Zvonareva the advantage, which the Russian converted into an all-important hold.
Clijsters faced another struggle to hold serve with the scores locked at 3-3, as Zvonareva sent the passing shot that would have secured the break wide. The Belgian handed the 21st seed another chance when she netted a forehand on the next point, before saving that break-point chance when she ripped a crosscourt forehand winner, before going on to again hold serve.
It was Zvonareva who found herself staring down triple break point in the next game and finally Clijsters capitalised with her fifth break point opportunity of the match, and successfully served for the set in the ninth game of the match.
The sometimes volatile Zvonareva, however, refused to be shaken and after letting yet another break point opportunity pass her by early in the second set, finally secured the break of serce and a 3-1 lead as she lifted her game at about the same time as Clijsters dropped her standards.
Clijsters, however, fought back and set up a double break point chance with Zvonareva serving for the set at 5-3, the net-cord helping the mum-of-one to capitalise on the second chance. That opportunity having bypassed the 25-year-old, she found herself with a double break point chance against the Clijsters serve, and took the opportunity to level the match at one set apiece.
Clijsters was again forced to save break point in her opening service game of the deciding set, but it was Zvonareva who made the first breakthrough of the set to leave her higher ranked opponent in a precarious position in both the match and the tournament.
A final break of serve when Clijsters meekly netted a forehand while serving to stay in the match, handed Zvonareva a place among the final four at Wimbledon for the first time in her career.
Clijsters now joins Venus Williams on the sidelines, with the five-time champion upset by world No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova in her quarter-final match.
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