Kim Clijsters regains No. 1 ranking - February 11, 2011
PARIS -- Kim Clijsters received a special trophy, and the Open Gaz de France isn't even over yet.
That's what happens when you return to the top of rankings.
Clijsters beat Jelena Dokic of Australia 6-3, 6-0 on Friday to reach the Paris semifinals and will replace Caroline Wozniacki at the top when the new rankings are released on Monday.
"I'm very happy to be No. 1 again," Clijsters said after collecting the trophy and a giant No. 1 made from flowers.
The 27-year-old Clijsters has held the top ranking three times before, but not since 2006. She retired in May 2007 before marrying American basketball player Brian Lynch and giving birth to a daughter, Jada, in February 2008.
Since making her competitive return in August 2009, Clijsters has won three Grand Slam titles and is the current champion at the U.S. and Australian Opens. Wozniacki is still chasing her first major.
"I'm older, a little more experienced," Clijsters said. "I'm able to enjoy all the things that are happening now in a different way. I'm able to share it with a bigger group and with my team. That's what I enjoy the most about this second career."
The 256-week stretch between Clijsters' last stretch at No. 1 and her current one is the second longest in ATP or WTA history, beaten only by Serena Williams (265 weeks).
As the stadium speakers blasted Tina Turner's "Simply The Best," the WTA put on a special presentation to celebrate Clijsters' achievement.
"It's weird because you're in the middle of a tournament," Clijsters said. "You're doing a speech, you're getting a trophy and flowers, so it's a little bit weird but exciting as well."
Clijsters reeled off 12 consecutive games against Dokic, who led 3-0 in the first set.
"She came out strong and served well and was returning well," Clijsters said. "I kind of just got overpowered by the way she was playing. But I knew that if I could win a couple of rallies, I would be able to turn things around."
Clijsters next plays Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who beat Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
"I think it's unbelievable," Kanepi said about Clijsters' successful comeback. "She must be very talented. Not many players can do that."
But Kanepi was also looking forward to the challenge.
"It's great to play against the world No. 1," Kanepi said. "I think it's great to beat the No. 1. If it happens."
Also Friday, Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States upset sixth-seeded German Andrea Petkovic 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 and will face Petra Kvitova in the semis. Kvitova edged Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Mattek-Sands said Clijsters deserved to hold the No. 1 ranking.
"To have Kim come back, win two Slams in a row now, I think she's definitely deserving of it," Mattek-Sands said.
"Nothing against Caroline, she's had a very consistent year last year. That's deserving as well," she said.
Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament's co-director and a former top-ranked player, praised Clijsters' performance.
"What she has achieved is quite extraordinary," Mauresmo said. "It's a bit surprising because she suffered a lot injuries in her first career. But she stopped at a young age, so she's physically able to still be very competitive.
"That she becomes again the No. 1 is quite logical," Mauresmo said. "Serena is not able to be fit. Wozniacki is very consistent but so far she hasn't peaked yet."
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=6111926Caroline Wozniacki back to No. 1 - February 18, 2011
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Caroline Wozniacki regained the No. 1 ranking after beating Shahar Peer of Israel to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Championships on Friday.
The 20-year-old Dane lost the top spot Monday to Kim Clijsters but will officially reclaim it when the new rankings are released next week.
Wozniacki next meets former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, who beat fourth-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (4).
Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-6 (7), 6-3, and will play the 11th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who beat Alisa Kleybanova of Russia 6-2, 6-0.
"Of course, it's nice to be back to No. 1," Wozniacki said after her 6-2, 6-4 win over Peer. "It's a good feeling. I gave Kim one week. Hopefully, now I will have it for a few more weeks."
On her Twitter page, Wozniacki highlighted her return to No. 1, which prompted Clijsters to tweet in reply: "Congrats :-) ha ha."
Wozniacki first rose to the top in October, replacing the injured Serena Williams, but she has yet to win a Grand Slam. She lost to Li Na of China in the Australian Open semifinals in January.
However, she was among the most consistent players in 2010. She won the most tournaments and appears in good form in Dubai, easily beating an ailing Anna Chakvetadze and dropping only one game in her third-round match against Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita.
"I'm playing good tennis," Wozniacki said. "I feel when I'm playing on a high level, I'm tough to beat. So, I'm really pleased about the way I'm playing at the moment."
Her win Friday ended another strong run from Peer, who two years ago was barred from playing in Dubai because of her nationality. The Israeli player still is given extra security and is in a guarded compound, isolated from the other players.
Last year, Peer reached the semifinals -- beating Wozniacki on the way.
This time, Wozniacki went up 3-0 in the first set and was never seriously challenged mostly due to the erratic play of Peer, who had 34 unforced errors -- more than twice that of the Dane. Wozniacki went up 4-0 in the second set and closed out the match with an overhead smash.
"I played two games good in the first set and only last three or four games in second set. Between that, I played pretty terrible," Peer said. "I don't think she had to do anything, just be there and put the balls in. I finished much better than I started."
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=6134893[ 本文被icemanbergkamp在2011-02-19 23:48重新編輯 ]
