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Tennis Weekly Wrap: Clijsters Returns to the Top, del Potro Wins First Major
by Nadya Vlassoff
 It
was a fairytale ending for both U.S. Open singles
winners as Kim Clijsters and Juan Martin del Potro
both tasted victory on different scales of success.
Clijsters, who came back after almost a two-year
absence from the tour during which she got married
and had a baby girl, was always a threat but no
one would have expected her dominant surge throughout
the entire tournament. Despite a controversy filled
semi-final against Serena Williams, Clijsters
was all concentration as she stepped out onto
Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday evening to face
the other surprise finalist, the 19 year old Caroline
Wozniacki.
The young Dane has shown considerable promise in her early career and Wozniacki poses one of the most important parts of a tennis game, mental fortitude. So often the chief criticism of any tennis player will be mental focus that tends to get blown off the court as quickly as any good first serve which leads to a multitude of unforced errors. Wozniacki showed plenty of patience during her semi-final match against Yanina Wickmayer. Sunday night’s final, however, would be Wozniacki’s biggest test to date.
Kim Clijsters entered the U.S. Open as an unseeded wild card entry and had
played in only a few tournaments before arriving
at Flushing Meadows, Clijsters had performed
well, especially against top 20 players. Wozniacki
had an easier draw as she faced only two seeded
players in the early rounds. Clijsters had to
get through both Williams sisters as well as
two other top 20 seeded players.
 The
women’s singles final was a test of serves more
than anything else as the first set saw consecutive
breaks of serve for five straight games. Finally,
with the wind blowing and whipping the ball
to the side, Clijsters held serve to take the
first set 7-5. Wozniacki fought back to level
at two-all in the second set but once again
fell to the powerful Clijsters forehand which
had ripped winners throughout the entire match.
It took Clijsters nine games to win the second
set in a considerably easier effort as Wozniacki
played well but soon began to lose her patience,
sending a slew of unforced errors flying wide
and into the net.
Kim Clijsters, known for being one of the nicest
players on tour, held her trophy in one hand
and her daughter, Jada, in the other. It was
the dream run everyone had cheered for as the
comeback story of the year capped off a terrific
tournament by one of the tennis world’s former
elite players. Four years after Clijsters won
her first and only grand slam tournament at
the U.S. Open, she was back to reclaim her glory
with husband and daughter in tow.
The men’s singles final had the great Roger Federer, the five-time returning champion, battle the towering Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro. Federer was in the midst of one of his best years on tour with two grand slam titles already under his belt while also adding the title of father when his wife, Mirka, recently gave birth to twin baby girls. Juan Martin del Potro was the dark horse of the tournament and had improved greatly all year, especially in his net game, which turned out to be one of the deciding factors of the U.S. Open final.
 Roger
Federer took to the court in his fourth major
final of the year and looked rested in the first
set where he broke del Potro with deep slices
that Juan Martin couldn’t defend. Del Potro’s
height could have very well been the reason
why he choked up on forehand returns, which
sent them into the net too often than not as
Federer cruised to take the first set. The second
set came down to a tie break and it took one
mini-break for del Potro to win. Two more traded
sets and it all came down to the fifth where
del Potro looked exhausted and Federer frustrated.
Unlike the Wimbledon five-setter that Federer won, Juan Martin del Potro refused to buckle under the pressure of possibly winning his first grand slam title as he knocked Federer around the court with a barrage of winners from the net and baseline. Federer had eleven double faults by the time he was down 5-2 and couldn’t get a first serve in no matter how hard he tried. Del Potro, had triple match point before Federer was able to fend off two but then, the once mighty Federer forehand failed him for the last time as he sent a return long and Juan Martin del Potro collapsed onto his back in disbelief over his incredible win. Roger Federer, the great champion that he is, congratulated del Potro at the net with a few pats to the back and chest and kind words of congratulations.
 The
only disappointment for the fans came Juan Martin
del Potro was rushed through his Spanish acceptance
speech. Perhaps it was for the sake of TV time
limits but the champion deserved a few moments
to share his appreciation with his family and
friends in his native tongue.
And so, another year and a new set of champions emerge from the Flushing Meadows for the final grand slam of the year. The resurgent return of Kim Clijsters will hopefully spark the top 20 players to play harder and better if they hope to retain their rankings. Juan Martin del Potro is now a force to be reckoned with after he beat both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in successive matches. The WTA and ATP championships are over a month away but like every year, tennis fans shouldn’t underestimate the underdog since they most definitely have the ability to surprise everyone, even themselves.
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