In just the third tournament of her comeback, 2005 U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters is already a sexy pick to reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows.
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Yes. You heard me correctly.
As Clijsters showed in Monday's dominating 6-1, 6-1 victory over Viktoriya Kutuzova — just as she showed in wins over Marion Bartoli, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati and Toronto — the former world No. 1 still has phenomenal athleticism and electrifying power off the ground.
Defending champion Serena Williams said she was amazed that Clijsters, now the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, hasn't lost a step. Clijsters wouldn't say the same, but she's pretty pleased with how she's been able to focus without hearing her toddler's footsteps in the back of her head.
"I still feel like I can improve," the 26-year-old Clijsters said. "But I'm definitely comfortable where I am, and I think it's always a matter of just trying to work on those little things, assessing every match that I play.
"The match rhythm is something I have to get used to. Matches like today, I didn't really get tested. So that's the biggest key, playing those tough matches and seeing when it becomes close and how I react in those kinds of situations. And I would like to have more of those matches."
Clijsters will get one of those in the second round when she faces Bartoli, who knocked off two-time U.S. Open champ Venus Williams in the Stanford final in July. While Clijsters had her way with the Frenchwoman at Cincinnati in a 6-4, 6-3 victory, Bartoli is a streaky player who is capable of hurting anyone off the ground when she's on.
Bartoli, a 2007 Wimbledon finalist, was displeased with her performance in Cincinnati and thinks that this time around she'll have a much better idea how to deal with Clijsters' power.
"I played really badly and was still close to her in the first set, but I didn't have an idea of how she was going to play and that's really tough when you go on court," Bartoli said. "I hadn't seen her play in two years and I tried to figure it out when I went on court and that didn't work.
"She moves very well, but I have beaten girls like [Jelena] Jankovic and Venus and they move well. This time I have a plan."
Clijsters' plan is to dictate immediately, and use short angles so as not to allow Bartoli to camp in the center of the court and blast two-handers off both wings into the corners.
If Clijsters can beat the somewhat inconsistent Bartoli, her next heavyweight opponent would likely be Venus in the fourth round. Williams, who hasn't won an outdoor U.S. hard court title since 2002, has been a mystery this summer.
