US Open: Clijsters and Williams to Fight For the Final
Both number two and three seeded at the Flushing Meadows, Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams, made the progress into the semi final where they’ll also meet. The Belgian, who won the US Open in 2005, had to struggle a bit more with Australian Samantha Stosur, who proved the win against Elena Dementieva in the previous round was not just a simple coincidence the Russian felt tired. Clijsters had a perfect start, but a bit more nervous in the second when Stosur equalized the set-score. Winning also break point, the Belgian finished the match 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to meet the American in the last four.
“It has been difficult for me to serve the last few weeks, and obviously the weather conditions didn’t help. But I’ll just try and remember the last serve I hit today. I just stayed focused. She wasn’t serving well either. I was taking it one point at a time and trying to remember the good things,” Clijsters said after the game. It was also Stosur who complained about the weather conditions to claim that he had to play under way too windy atmosphere. “It was the windiest conditions I’ve played in all week, and probably the worst I’ve served all week. Put those two things together, and then don’t hold serve for the third set, and you lose,” the Australian said. “I’m happy to make it to the quarters, by far my best result here, but I’m going to be disappointed. You can’t break serve and have chance after chance after chance and blow it in a quarterfinal. It’s just too big of an opportunity to let go, and unfortunately that’s what I did today.” Now that she’s seen Williams performing at this year’s US Grand Slam, Clijsters looks much more concern about the semi final as she knows the American is playing one of her best tennis the Belgian has seen in a while.
“This is some of the best of Venus I’ve seen in a while. We’ve had strange matches. In the third sets, I was maybe a little bit physically stronger. She’s capable of doing amazing things. I have to be ready.” The American lost last season’s meeting against Clijsters at the US Open, but showed more confident this year. “We had a great match last year. It was really close. I’m sure that match made a big difference for her, because she went on to win the title. I’m sure we’ll have another really good match-up. I’d like to flip the way it turns out though,” Venus said. Winner in 2000 and 2001, Serena’s sister, didn’t lose any set so far under the Flushing Meadows sun. Even more than that, what her opponents realized the most was just to push two sets into the tie break. It’s about Shahar Peer and this round’s Francesca Schiavone, whom the American beat the two in straight sets.
“I’ve played Francesca for so many years. There have been times she’s had me down, but fortunately I would come back. I know when I play her I’m going to have to play good tennis. I don’t think either of us was able to play our normal game because it was so windy. You end up playing a little safer. But when the stakes weare higher, I was able to raise my game,” Williams said after defeating the same 30 aged Italian. The American is also the first 30-something player who reaches a grand semi final since Mary Pierce reached the final here in 2005. “I came back, but when it was 5-5 I missed two balls… that’s tennis. But it was a good tournament for me. Even if I do second round and give the best I can, it’s a good tournament,” pleased Schiavone ended.
