Clijsters Snares Fifth Title of 2005
August 15, 2005
Clijsters Snares Fifth Title of 2005
LOS ANGELES, CA - Kim Clijsters continued to assert herself as a US Open
favourite Sunday, winning her 26th career title and fifth of the year by
cruising past Daniela Hantuchova 64 61 in the final of the $585,000 JPMorgan
Chase Open presented by Herbalife.
With the first set tied at 4-all after the two players traded breaks of serve
twice, Clijsters took complete control of the match, winning eight of the last
nine games and losing just 12 points in the second set, smacking one last
forehand winner on match point to claim the victory in just over an hour.
"The more you keep pushing them, the more they have to go for risks," said
Clijsters, who has lost just one set to Hantuchova in seven career meetings.
"[Hantuchova] kept hitting the lines and going for shots; all credit to her.
It's not that I'm hitting it harder, I'm making them think more."
"I felt like in the first set I had a lot of chances," said Hantuchova, who
finished the match with 33 unforced errors. "She just proved that she really
deserves to be one of the best players in the world. Certainly she is one of
the toughest to beat. If she feels like she is getting on top; it's hard to
stop her."
Clijsters was in dominant form all week, starting her campaign after a first
round bye with a 62 61 rout of former Top 20 player Karolina Sprem, then
ousting No.12 seed Dinara Safina 60 75 in the third round. In the quarterfinals,
the 22-year-old Belgian cruised past No.4 seed Nadia Petrova 64 62, then
breezed past No.13 seed Francesca Schiavone 62 64 in the semifinals. She moved
from No.10 to No.8 on Monday's Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Rankings, her
highest position since last October, over 10 months ago.
"It was so much fun to be here again," said Clijsters, who has won 12 of 14
career matches in Los Angeles, also winning the JPMorgan Chase Open title
back in 2003, the same week she claimed the world No.1 ranking. "I missed it
last year. Since my injury, every victory just means that much more and is so
special."
Clijsters will also reclaim the lead in the 2005 US Open Series Bonus
Challenge Standings. The former No.1 first took the lead after capturing the
first leg of the Series two weeks ago at Stanford, but lost the top spot last
week to two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce, who won the Tier I event in
San Diego. Considered by many as one of the favourites for the upcoming US Open,
Clijsters is also scheduled to play this coming week in Toronto at the 2005
Rogers Cup presented by American Express.
"It's a compliment to be seen as the favorite," said Clijsters. "I feel like
it's important for me to play well in the tournaments leading up to a Grand
Slam. You always have to keep working. I need to be fresh and healthy to start
the US Open."
Clijsters has now won a Tour-leading 45 matches in 2005, her impressive 45-6
record highlighted by back-to-back Tier I titles at Indian Wells and Miami,
her second career grass court trophy at Eastbourne, and her recent runs at
Stanford and now Los Angeles. Clijsters has now won 31 of her last 32 matches
in the United States, a streak that dates back to her title run at the Season-
Ending Tour Championships in November 2003. The only blemish on that record
is a quarterfinal loss to Chinese up-and-comer Peng Shuai last week in San
Diego.
Hantuchova was contesting her fourth career singles final on Sunday, and her
first since a runner-up finish to Svetlana Kuznetsova at Eastbourne in June
2004. The 22-year-old Slovak reached two finals in 2002, defeating five-time
Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis to win her lone career title at Indian Wells
in March and finishing runner-up to Clijsters in three sets at Filderstadt in
October. In addition to the runner-up finish this week, her 26-18 record this
season includes semifinal finishes at Doha and Cincinnati, and quarterfinal
appearances at Tokyo [Pan Pacific Open], Dubai and Stanford.
"I couldn't ask for better preparation before the US Open," said Hantuchova,
who rose from No.22 to No.21 on Monday. "I have enjoyed every week of the
summer so far."
Hantuchova faced two qualifiers this week after a first round bye, toughing
out a 46 61 62 victory over big-serving left-hander Angela Haynes in the second
round and beating Ukrainian teenager Kateryna Bondarenko 64 64 in the third
round. The former world No.5 caught a break from top seed Maria Sharapova in
the quarterfinals, gaining a walkover after the Russian teenager was forced
to pull out due to a right pectoralis muscle injury, then upset No.3 seed Elena
Dementieva 63 64 in the semifinals, just her third victory in nine meetings
with the two-time Grand Slam finalist.
In Sunday's doubles final, Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta defeated American
wildcards Haynes and Bethanie Mattek 62 64. Dementieva collected her sixth
career Tour doubles title with the win, while Pennetta collected her
career-first. Haynes was making her debut in a Tour final of any kind, while
Mattek was seeking her second career doubles title, having won at Vancouver
last year with Abigail Spears.
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