Clijsters powers to Flushing Meadows repeat

Kim Clijsters successfully defended her US Open title with a one-sided victory over Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in a disappointing final at Flushing Meadows.

Wimbledon runner-up Zvonareva had not dropped a set in reaching her second consecutive Grand Slam final but produced an error-strewn display as Clijsters claimed her third US Open crown with a 6-2 6-1 win in exactly an hour.

The 27-year-old Belgian has now won 21 consecutive matches in New York, having triumphed in 2005 and then coming out of retirement last year to win the title again in just the 14th match of her comeback.

“Obviously when I started my summer, the US Open was my main goal,” Clijsters said.

“It was a new situation for me as well, going back to the Grand Slam where I was actually defending my title for the first time. Not having been able to do that in 2006 was frustrating at the time.

“Last year it was a different kind of attention. People were still curious to see how I was playing and people knew that with my history here that I was maybe one of the contenders.

“To me, I have to go match by match. Upsets can happen in the beginning of the tournament and I wasn’t playing my best tennis when I wanted to in the beginning. But I was able to lift my game in the last two matches when I needed it to.

“That’s probably what I’m most pleased with over these last 14 days, is that I was able to do that.”

Clijsters had lost her last two matches against Zvonareva, including the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in July when Zvonareva recovered from a set down.

And Clijsters admitted it was a bonus to be able to get revenge, adding: “I knew getting into the match which things I didn’t do well in those two matches that I lost.

“Obviously the one at Wimbledon was one of the most disappointing losses that I’ve dealt with so far in my career.

“In a way I was excited to play her in the final here just to try and get that revenge, but I also learned a lot of things, and just not myself. By watching me lose against her, my coach and I picked up a few little things that kind of helped me out there today as well, mixing up my game a little more.

“I think that got her thinking even more, just besides the fact that she was probably thinking about the occasion and where she was playing and being in another final, which is always something that does have an effect on the way you feel.

“She’s been playing some incredible tennis in these last two Grand Slams. It must be frustrating for her not to be able to play her best level when it was probably most needed.

“A little bit of experience definitely helps. I told Vera it’s tough when you lose but I think it took me six or seven finals before I finally got one. She has improved so much, I told her to keep it going, you’re a great player, it will happen.”

Zvonareva, who was in floods of tears immediately after the match, said: “I don’t think I was overwhelmed. Of course it was a great honour to be in the finals of the US Open and playing in front of the New York crowd but I think Kim just played a very good match. She didn’t really give me chances to get into the match.

“But I also think that physically today she was just much better than me. Physically I was not capable of playing the same level as I was able to play even like yesterday or in my previous matches.

“I think I have to learn how to make sure that I recover well and I’m physically fit and ready to play when it comes down to the last matches of the tournament, like semi-finals or finals.

“Maybe if I really want to go deep in the Grand Slams I will have to stop playing doubles to get some days off on the way. People that are playing only singles, on those days off they can go with a very light practice session and just work on some things. I felt like here I had to play every day. It’s tough not only physically, it’s also mentally tiring.

“So by the time the most important match of the tournament arrives, for me it was very difficult out there physically.”