A month into her comeback and beating Venus is child’s play for Kim Clijsters

Chris Jones
7 Sep 2009

Jada Ellie Clijsters was playing in the US Open creche when her mother Kim turned the women's tournament upside down with a stunning 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 victory over third-seed Venus Williams.

Clijsters, who retired for two years to bring up Jada (born in February 2008), now meets China's Na Li, the 18th seed, in the quarter-finals having matched the best showing by a wildcard in the final Grand Slam of the year.

The 26-year-old won the title here in 2005 and watching her thump forehands past Williams — the woman with the biggest wingspan' of any rival on tour — was like travelling down memory lane at break-neck speed.

The way Clijsters has turned back the years having only returned to the tour last month, is likely to convince former world No1 Justine Henin — her fellow Belgian superstar — to end her
self-imposed retirement.

Clijsters, whose return to action should worry all her rivals at the peak of the game, said: “My daughter doesn't mind if I win or lose — she is still happy to see Mummy.

“I can balance both the tennis and being a mother because my husband and I have help and it's great fun.

“Before I played, we took a carriage ride in Centre Park and Jada held the reins and then we went to the zoo.

“The mental side of my game is just the same and I want to win every point out there although in the past I may have wanted to win too much.

“I am still working on weaknesses in my game but before that would have been 24/7. Now I go home to my family and that's a nice feeling.

“I realise Venus wasn't playing her best tennis although I am taking a lot out of this game in terms of my mental toughness. In the past I may have let things slip away and I really fought hard.
“If someone had said I would have achieved this after coming back I would have laughed but you never know what is going to happen.”

Clijsters, despite her big-match experience, admitted she was nervous serving for the match and broke down in tears after the final point. She added: “I was shaking. My arm felt like 50 pounds or more.

“Because they (family and friends) know what I have been through these last few years, it's just very nice to have them there on the sideline cheering for me. To have them enjoy these wins with me just makes it even more special.”

Williams has been dealing with a serious injury since Wimbledon and plays with heavy strapping on her left knee but there were no excuses for what happened on centre court last night.

The American fought tenaciously but could not subdue Clijsters after the pair swapped 6-0 sets which meant they started the decider after barely 50mins of tennis.

That final set lasted 52mins on its own and was a titanic battle of big hitters with Clijsters showing remarkable skill, given she only signalled her return to competitive tennis at the Cincinnati event on 10 August.

If she can overcome Li, there will be a semi-final clash against Venus's sister Serena, the defending champion at Flushing Meadow.

Venus joined an increasingly large group of stellar names on the ejected' list headed by world No1 Dinara Safina plus Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Amelie Mauresmo and Ana Ivanovic.

Disappointed Venus said: “I tried to relax but sometimes I'm such a perfectionist, I put too much stress on myself.”