Kim Clijsters suffers a cracking defeat at the hands of Angelique Kerber – Wimbledon 2012
Former world number one, Kim Clijsters of Belgium, was rated among the hot favourites for winning this year’s Wimbledon Championships title but her dream of capturing another grand Slam gold was brutally shattered by the current
world number eight, Angelique Kerber, on Monday. The eight seeded German registered a crushing double-breadstick victory, 6-1, 6-1, to reach the quarter-final draw of the mega event in London, England.
Everyone knew that Clijsters was not 100 per cent physically fit while coming to Wimbledon, yet she was anticipated to lift the crown at this coveted tournament. The Belgian veteran pulled out of the semi-final battle at the UNICEF
Open due to niggling injury just before the start of the Grand Slam event in London but her performance in the initial rounds stunned everyone. Clijsters didn’t lose a single set en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon but the world number eight proved too
tough for her to take down. She could barely win two games in the entire matchup to finish on the losing side in the end.
"I was still probably just thinking about the match - wasn't so much about the last time," Clijsters said after her defeat. "I just had the feeling there was absolutely nothing I could have done today to have won that match. I
just felt my opponent was better on every level. That's all I was thinking about during the match."
It was a completely one-sided matchup, with Kerber dominating every minute of it. She didn’t hit a single ace in the matchup but dropped only five points on her first serve, clinching 22 out of 27, and broke her opponent five out
of nine times to pull curtains for her.
"I knew that maybe this was her last Wimbledon, but I wasn't thinking about that, I just knew I had to play very well to beat her," Kerber said. "I think I did a good job today, and I'm very happy to be in the quarters right now."
Kerber has been in the form of her life this season and is having a 44-12 winning record for the year, including two WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) championships titles. The 24-year-old German number one has broke into the Top-10
after her consistent performances with the racquet and her victory over the former world number one, Clijsters, will certainly boost her confidence to a whole new level. She will face her compatriot, Sabine Lisicki, in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
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