Clijsters vows to play through injury

Updated June 23, 2012 17:41:50

Former world number one Kim Clijsters was backed to go "full force" at Wimbledon despite having to pull out of the s-Hertogenbosch grass court tournament with a stomach injury.

Clijsters, who will quit tennis after the US Open, handed Poland's Urszula Radwanska a walkover into the final of the Dutch event, but her coaching team insisted the Belgian will be fit to play Wimbledon which starts on Monday.

"I think she can go at full force (at Wimbledon)," said fitness trainer Sam Verslegers who explained Clijsters had felt the injury in her quarter-final win over Francesca Schiavone.

"It's purely an overload. Some days of rest will encourage perhaps even full recovery."

Clijsters had been making her return this week after not playing since March because of a right hip injury.

The 28-year-old was champion in this pre-Wimbledon event in 2003.

Clijsters, a four-time Grand Slam title winner, had been drawn earlier Friday to begin her Wimbledon campaign against fellow former world number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-kingdom, belgium

First posted June 23, 2012 11:06:38

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Clijsters into semis after downing Schiavone

Updated June 22, 2012 09:21:18

Kim Clijsters reached the semi-finals of the 's-Hertogenbosch grass court tournament in the Netherlands, defeating Italy's Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

Former world number one Clijsters, who before this week had not played since March because of a right hip injury, was the champion in this pre-Wimbledon event in 2003.

And she showed that she could be a genuine threat at this year's Wimbledon, which starts Monday.

"It was a very intense match. Schiavone is a player who keeps fighting and has all sorts of different strokes. It is very important to stay focused," said Clijsters, who will face Poland's Urszula Radwanska for a place in the final.

In the men's tournament, world number six David Ferrer dropped just three points on serve in a 6-0, 6-1 rout of Dutch wildcard Igor Sijsling.

"Sometimes you find good feelings and sometimes it works," Ferrer said. "Today I was very good throughout the match, attacking well with my first serve, and maybe he was a little bit nervous."

The top-seeded Ferrer is bidding to win this grass court tournament for the second time after victory on his debut in 2008.

Ferrer goes onto face France's Benoit Paire, who fired 15 aces as he defeated Japan's Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 7-5 in 72 minutes.

German qualifier Philipp Petzschner struck 14 aces and broke serve twice as he overcame Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in one hour and 35 minutes.

He will face Belgium's Xavier Malisse, who battled past Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in 86 minutes.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, netherlands

First posted June 22, 2012 09:21:18

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Clijsters posts grass win

Updated June 20, 2012 09:52:11

Kim Clijsters advanced past the second round of the 's-Hertogenbosch ATP/WTA grass court tournament in the Netherlands.

Clijsters, who had been hampered by a hip injury earlier this season, defeated Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-1.

Elsewhere in the women's draw, Slovakian third seed Dominika Cibulkova defeated Israel's Shahar Peer 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), while eighth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova triumphed over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-5, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Spain's top seed David Ferrer accounted for Canadian Pierre-Ludovic Duclos 6-4, 6-4 in the men's opening, while Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse upset second-seeded Sebian Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7-4), 6-2

Tags: tennis, sport, netherlands

First posted June 20, 2012 09:52:11

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Clijsters to retire after US Open

Updated May 23, 2012 07:21:49

Former world number one Kim Clijsters announced on Tuesday she is to retire after the US Open in September.

The 28-year-old Belgian told a news conference that she wanted to sign out in New York where she enjoyed the biggest success of her career winning the the women's singles title at Flushing Meadow three times in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

"As it stands I will end my career at the US Open. That is where I enjoyed my greatest triumphs and it is a very special place for me," she said.

"The stadium is only about 45 minutes away from our house in the United States and my parents-in-law will be able to be present."

Clijsters is married to former US basketball player Brian Lynch and the couple have a daughter Jada.

She retired for a first time in May 2007 and gave birth to her daughter before staging a remarkable comeback in 2009 which ended in her triumph at the US Open which she successfully defended the following year.

Clijsters also won the Australian Open in 2011, the same year she topped the world rankings for the first time in five years.

But she has increasingly been dogged by injuries which caused her to draw down the curtain on the claycourt season and concentrate instead on the London Olympics and the US Open.

AFP

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First posted May 23, 2012 07:21:49

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Williams, Clijsters make winning returns to tour

Updated March 23, 2012 10:39:03

Former world number ones Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters have made triumphant returns to the women's tennis tour after long lay-offs with victories at the WTA and ATP Miami hardcourt tournament.

Seven-time grand slam champion Williams, who has not played a WTA event since pulling out of last year's US Open, defeated Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-3, in 77 minutes.

Williams announced at last year's US Open she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren's Syndrome. The illness saps her energy and causes pain in her joints.

Clijsters, playing for the first time since her Australian Open semi-final loss to world number one Victoria Azarenka, rallied to eliminate Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. The Belgian won 12 of the last 13 games to defeat Gajdosova.

"It's always tough to get that first match rhythm under your belt," Clijsters said. "When it comes down to my game I felt I wasn't quite going through my shots as I should have.

"I was just trying to find that rhythm, but on the other hand maybe forgetting to still play aggressive tennis. But as I started to feel more comfortable with the conditions and being in a match situation again I was hitting better, and that definitely showed in the second and third sets."

Clijsters, who won at Miami in 2005 and 2010, skipped last week's Indian Wells tournament to rest her injured ankle, the latest in a list of ailments in the past year that has also included a sore shoulder, wrist and abdomen.

"It's just a matter of getting those matches again," Clijsters said. "One thing I can count on is I have the experience, though. It doesn't take me that long to get used to it again. But it has become tougher."

Saying her ankle is at 95 per cent of peak fitness, Clijsters pondered how close she came to knocking off top seed Azarenka in Australia and how strong Azarenka - now undefeated this season in 23 matches - has played.

"I felt like I was really close to winning that match (at Melbourne Park)," Clijsters said. "She has been playing really good tennis. I think she's in a state of mind where she feels very confident and is on a roll.

"It's really showing in her game and in the way she approaches matches. I know what it's like to be in that situation, where you feel very focused but at the same time playing freely, without any worries."

Williams advanced to a second-round match against Czech third seed, and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who had a first-round bye. Next up for Clijsters is her match against Germany's 14th-seeded Julia Goerges.

First round matches began in the men's draw with Russian Nikolay Davydenko outlasting American James Blake 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, to book a second-round date with US 10th seed John Isner, the runner-up to Roger Federer last week at Indian Wells.

Colombia's Alejandro Falla was leading 6-1, 2-1 when Uzbek Denis Istomin retired with an injury, advancing the South American into a second-round match with British fourth seed Andy Murray.

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez was set to open his farewell event against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut on Wednesday night. Gonzalez, a three-time Olympic medallist, last month announced his decision to retire after this event.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-states

First posted March 22, 2012 15:14:31

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Clijsters to miss French Open

Updated April 18, 2012 06:21:03

Belgium's Kim Clijsters announced that she will bypass the clay court season, including the French Open, in the hope of recovering from a hip injury in time for Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.

The 28-year-old sustained the injury during a match in Miami last month.

"My current physical condition will not enable me to go to Roland Garros in optimal shape," Clijsters said in a statement.

"However, I cannot wait to begin the long period of preparation for the grass season, with Wimbledon and the Olympic Games my principal objectives."

Clijsters intends to make her return to action at the Rosmalen tournament in the Netherlands, which begins on June 17.

AFP

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First posted April 18, 2012 06:21:03

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Azarenka knocks over Clijsters

Updated January 26, 2012 16:57:30

Belarus' Victoria Azarenka upset defending champion Kim Clijsters in three tense sets to reach her first grand slam final at the Australian Open Thursday.

Third-seeded Azarenka, 22, saw off a powerful second-set fight-back by the Belgian mother-of-one to win 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. In Saturday's final, she will play either Maria Sharapova or Petra Kvitova, who are in action currently.

"I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 kilograms," Azarenka said, wiping away tears.

"Everything is shaking but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. I can't believe it's over -- I just want to cry."

Azarenka has now gone one step better than her previous grand slam best of reaching the semi-finals at last year's Wimbledon, and is one win away from becoming her country's first ever major-winner.

She has often faltered on the big stage, most noticeably at the 2010 Australian Open when she led eventual champion Serena Williams in the quarter-finals by a set and 4-0 before imploding.

But she stood firm Thursday to hold off Clijsters' revival and record the biggest win of her career.

"Before, I think you all thought I was a mental case but I was just young and emotional," she said. "But I'm really glad the way I fought. That's the thing I'm most proud of, I fought for every ball."

Azarenka came out with an obvious game plan to attack Clijsters' second serve and it paid dividends as early as the third game, when she broke with a clean forehand winner wide to the Belgian's backhand.

She kept on attacking Clijsters throughout the first set and was able to dictate the pace with her aggressive shot-making.

Azarenka won her service games easily while Clijsters struggled with hers, only winning 33 percent of her second serves in the first set.

The Belarusian won the opener in 49 minutes but Clijsters rallied in the second set as she cut down her error-rate and forced Azarenka into a series of long rallies.

She held her own serve and then broke Azarenka to love thanks to a string of unforced errors from the third seed, running away with the set and seeming to be on track to defend her title.

But the momentum swung again at the start of the third as Azarenka won her serve, then broke Clijsters to love, only to serve two double-faults on her way to giving the break straight back.

It was now Clijsters' turn to look nervous and although she was able to save three break points, a double fault on the fourth gave Azarenka a 3-1 lead.

She moved to 4-2 and had seven game points to open a 5-2 lead, but Clijsters refused to lie down and she got the set back on serve thanks to yet another unforced error from Azarenka.

But in a thrilling match Azarenka came again, breaking Clijsters to go to 5-3 and holding her nerve for a memorable victory, collapsing to the deck in tears as the Belgian put a backhand wide on match point.

Azarenka said earlier this week that she was in the best shape of her life after concentrating on her physical conditioning in the off-season.

She has also been able to shut out strong criticism of the screaming she makes when she hits the ball, which included large sections of the crowd mimicking her during her win over Australia's Casey Dellacqua.

Azarenka is the first Belarusian woman to reach a grand slam final since Natasha Zvereva finished runner-up at the French Open in 1988, representing the USSR.

She also has the chance to become only the ninth woman to win both the junior girls and women's singles titles in Melbourne, and the first since Australia's Chris O'Neil achieved the feat in 1978.

AFP

Tags: sport, australian-open, tennis, australia, vic, melbourne-3000

First posted January 26, 2012 16:08:33

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Clijsters downs Wozniacki to reach semis

Updated January 24, 2012 22:48:38

Defending champion Kim Clijsters reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open after beating Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets on Tuesday, ending the Dane's stay at world number one.

Clijsters held off a determined fight-back from the 21-year-old top seed to win 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in just under two hours and set up a semi-final date against Victoria Azarenka.

By failing to reach the semi-finals, Wozniacki is guaranteed to lose her number one ranking to either Azarenka, Petra Kvitova or Maria Sharapova when the new standings are released next Monday.

And the top seed will face inevitable questions over how she managed to hold onto the number one spot for 67 of the past 68 weeks without winning a grand slam.

Wozniacki played her usual counter-punching game on Tuesday with plenty of retrieving from the baseline, but she did not have a weapon to damage Clijsters.

The Belgian played much better than in her fourth round win over China's Li Na, and showed no ill-effects from the ankle injury she suffered during that match.

Clijsters broke Wozniacki four times in the first set as she dominated her younger rival on both her forehand and backhand sides.

And although Wozniacki broke twice herself, she was always playing catch-up and never looked like taking the set.

The second set followed a similar pattern, but Clijsters faltered while serving for the match at 5-3.

The tie-break went with serve until 4-4, when Clijsters stepped up to win the next three points and seal victory with a simple put-away into the open court.

"It didn't feel like being up a set and 5-2," the Belgian said.

"I really had to work at it. Caroline changed her tactics (in the second set) and became a bit more aggressive."

In the new rankings to be published next Monday, French Open champion Li Na, who fell to Clijsters in the fourth round, will slip to ninth in the world, WTA projections show.

China's Li will lose the points she earned for finishing as runner-up to Belgium's Clijsters in 2011, resulting in a drop of three places from number six.

US Open champion Samantha Stosur's first-round loss has not done her significant harm, with the Australian set to stay at number five.

And former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, who lost in the fourth round to Czech second seed Kvitova, is projected to return to the top 20. She is currently ranked number 22.

Despite her long reign at the top, Wozniacki has failed to win a grand slam, with critics saying she could not be considered the best player in the world until she takes one of the sport's major prizes.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova weighed into the debate on Monday, saying the women's game was crying out for a new star and the rankings were weighted too much towards quantity of matches, rather than quality of opposition.

"Clearly nobody feels that Wozniacki is a true number one," she said.

"If we still had the same ranking system we were using six years ago when they were giving bonus points for beating players, Kvitova would have ended up number one because she had beaten more top players than Wozniacki."

Azarenka also reached the semi-finals on Tuesday after beating Agnieszka Radwanska, while Sharapova and Kvitova play their last-four matches on Wednesday.

AFP

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First posted January 24, 2012 16:33:46

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Clijsters battles back from the brink

Updated January 23, 2012 00:09:15

Defending Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters said she faced an anxious wait to find out the condition of her injured ankle after her remarkable win over China's Li Na on Sunday.

Clijsters rolled her left ankle midway through the first set of her dramatic fourth-round match, before staging what she described as the best comeback of her career.

The Belgian saved four match points in the second set, coming from 6-2 down in a tie-break to defeat a shell-shocked Li 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

It was a magnificent turnaround from the Belgian, who looked down and out as she hobbled to her chair at 3-3 in the first set after rolling her ankle during a baseline rally.

Clijsters, who had her leg raised during her post-match press conference, said she did not know the extent of her injury or how it would heal before her quarter-final against Caroline Wozniacki on Tuesday.

The top seed Wozniacki saw off the challenge of former world number one Jelena Jankovic in straight sets.

The day was all about Clijsters though, who added another indelible Australian Open memory to those from her run to the title last year.

"It's only the first hour since I'm done. I'm taped already and I was fully covered in the ice bath for the ankle and everything," she said.

"I have the best people around me to take care of me and to make sure that this is hopefully not going to get any worse than it is now.

"That's why I'm sitting here with my leg up, to try and keep the swelling down as much as possible. We will see."

Clijsters admitted she had briefly considered pulling out when she suffered the injury.

"It definitely crossed my mind at some point (to pull out) but I knew if I could just try to let the medication sink in, or if I could get through the first 20 minutes, half-hour, I think the pain would go away a little bit and then maybe with the adrenaline I could just fly through it," she said.

The much-anticipated rematch of last year's final had threatened to turn into a huge anti-climax as Clijsters struggled to continue after the fall.

Clijsters decided to battle on, but it soon became obvious that she was not moving as well as she normally does and she had trouble chasing down Li's wide balls.

She managed to hold her serve after the injury but Li then broke Clijsters' next service game and held her own to take the first set in 43 minutes.

Clijsters started slowly in the second set but began to move better and forced the set into a tie-break.

Li opened a 6-2 lead, only for Clijsters to win six points in a row to level the match, the last an audacious lob that left the Chinese stranded at the net.

"I didn't want to give her anything for free," Clijsters said of the four match points.

"If she was going to come up with an ace or with a winner, you know, too good, but I didn't want to make the mistake.

"I think she was a little bit lost or maybe a little bit confused at that time and she made two pretty easy mistakes when we changed sides.

"That made me believe in it even more in the beginning of that third set to just stick through it from the beginning and try to get as many breaks as I could in the beginning."

By this point the match had swung firmly back towards Clijsters as Li lost her first two service games and the defending champion raced into a 4-0 lead.

She fought back but it was too late and Clijsters sealed victory when a Li backhand hit the net on her second match point.

"I knew beforehand it was going to be a tough match, physically, mentally, everything," Clijsters said.

"But I didn't expect this - it was amazing to get through."

Wozniacki raced away with the first set and edged the second to win 6-0, 7-5, with the Serbian 13th seed making a huge 50 unforced errors in a match lasting one hour and 43 minutes.

The Dane looked like running away with the contest when leading 4-1 in the second set, but Jankovic staged a late comeback before the Dane sealed the win on her second match point.

"My confidence is high, my fitness is good, I feel like my play is improving so I'm very positive," said Wozniacki. "I thought I played a great set and a half today but then she started to play well."

AFP

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First posted January 22, 2012 19:17:49

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Clijsters powers past Hantuchova

Updated January 21, 2012 00:05:35

Defending champion Kim Clijsters reached the fourth round of the Australian Open by beating Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets on Friday night.

Clijsters edged a close first set before running away with the second to win 6-3, 6-2.

Clijsters will now meet Li Na in a repeat of last year's final.

Li progressed easily from the third round in unfortunate circumstances as Anabel Medina Garrigues was forced to retire after injuring her ankle in the third game of the match.

Last year's finalist won the first two games before her Spanish opponent fell on the baseline and although she bravely attempted to continue after treatment the match ended with the score at 3-0.

Clijsters' match was her first on Melbourne Park's secondary court since she had a meltdown against Nadia Petrova two years ago and lost 6-0, 6-1 in 52 minutes, her heaviest ever defeat at a grand slam.

"I wanted to play well, to really focus and not let that happen again," she said after the match.

"I think it made me focus a bit more."

Clijsters was not at her best against Hantuchova, whom she last met in Brisbane two weeks ago when a hip injury forced her to withdraw from their semi-final.

The match was closer than the scoreline suggested, with Hantuchova missing a number of chances to put pressure on the defending champion with some simple mistakes.

The 11th-seeded Belgian broke Hantuchova five times in the match, but was broken twice herself as she made only 56 per cent of her first serves.

Clijsters also made 18 unforced errors in a sometimes sloppy display but was rescued by her ability to smash winners from all over the court. She hit 27 of them compared with 12 from Hantuchova.

"I wasn't playing my best tennis but I fought all the way," Clijsters said.

"I just tried to do my best out there."

AFP

Tags: australian-open, tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 20, 2012 20:49:28

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Defending champ Clijsters into round two

Updated January 16, 2012 19:21:54

Belgium's Kim Clijsters began her Australian Open defence with a straight-sets win over Portugese qualifier Maria Joao Koehler.

Clijsters won a surprisingly close first set before racing away with the second to win 7-5, 6-1, showing no signs of the hip injury that forced her out of the Brisbane International two weeks ago.

China's French Open champion Li Na progressed after negotiating a tough first match while third seed Victoria Azarenka laid down an early marker at the year's first grand slam.

In stifling heat Li, last year's runner-up, recovered from a slow start to down Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-1, after Azarenka had shown her intent with a 6-1, 6-0 demolition of Britain's Heather Watson.

Azarenka, who won last week's Sydney International and is unbeaten in 2012, needed just 67 minutes to overwhelm Watson and move into a second-round clash against Australia's Casey Dellacqua.

Clijsters was forced to work hard in the early stages by the unknown Koehler, who was playing her first ever main tour match outside Portugal.

The 19-year-old from Porto only managed to land 35 per cent of her first serves in the opening set but scrapped hard for every point, playing well above her world ranking of 223.

But, when serving at 5-6, her lack of experience told and Clijsters attacked, quickly racing to love-40, then wrapping up the first set courtesy of a Koehler double-fault.

Clijsters seized control and broke twice more in the second set to cruise to a comfortable win.

"I'm feeling good and I'm happy to say that (the injury) is all behind me," the 28-year-old world number 14 said.

"I've always loved coming to Australia and that feeling is stronger after last year. Being on this court brings back a lot of memories."

Pervak, the world number 40, matched fifth-seeded Li for much of the first set as the two players traded a series of booming groundstrokes.

However, the Chinese star always looked the more threatening and once she broke Pervak to open a 4-2 lead she never looked like losing.

"It's not easy (playing in that heat)," she said.

"I'm not used to it. I came down from Sydney, but there it was only like 20 degrees. It was really tough today."

Azarenka dominated Watson in the first match on centre court as she pressed her claims for a maiden grand slam title.

The world number three was far too powerful for Watson, blasting 15 clean winners and forcing 14 errors from the Englishwoman's racquet.

Azarenka is one of six players in the draw who could finish the tournament with the number one ranking, and she acknowledged it was time she stood up and won a major tournament.

"These are always the goals for me. I'm such a competitor that I always put challenges on myself on the court, off the court, and I try to reach them," she said.

Dellacqua recorded the first victory by a local player on day one, downing Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski in straight sets.

It was Dellacqua's first win at a grand slam tournament in two years, during which time she has battled a string of injuries.

Jovanovski had beaten the 26-year-old Dellacqua at their previous meeting at the Brisbane International earlier this month.

But she struggled to get any rhythm on Monday, holding serve only twice in seven attempts.

Eighth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who also has a chance of becoming number one, came back from a set down to beat colourful American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-7 (12-10), 6-4, 6-2.

The highest profile casualty on day one was 19th seed Flavia Pennetta, who fell to Russian qualifier Nina Bratchikova 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

AFP

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First posted January 16, 2012 13:16:55

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US Open defence will help in Melbourne: Clijsters

Updated January 15, 2012 08:30:27

Kim Clijsters is confident the experience of winning back-to-back US Open titles will serve her well as she attempts to defend her Australian Open crown this week.

In an era when women's tennis is as open as it has ever been, as evidenced by the four grand slam events being claimed by different women in 2011, Clijsters bucked the trend in 2010 when she backed up her previous triumph at Flushing Meadows with a straight-sets victory over Vera Zvonareva in the final.

"Obviously you have that good feeling when you step out on a court where you've done well, where you've achieved a dream or something that came true," Clijsters said.

"So you automatically kind of get that positive vibe again.

"But that obviously doesn't mean that it will go easy and smooth, you know, the next year.

"Something that I did at the US Open as well, just take one match at a time, just make sure that I keep having my same routines and just try to be in the best shape that I can be every day, then we'll see how it goes."

The world number 12 admitted the closeness of the women's field at the moment would make it difficult for her to repeat last year's triumph when she downed Li Na in a memorable final.

"It's definitely a completely different situation than we had, let's say eight years ago, or so, when it was kind of easy to almost pencil in quarter-finalists or semi-finalists in the draw," she said.

"I think you have to be ready from the first match onwards because you can have really tough matches already.

"There's going to be a lot of lower-ranked players who are still going to have big opportunities to beat some top players and get chances in grand slams."

Clijsters, who will face a qualifier in the first round in Melbourne, again allayed any fears over her fitness - saying she had fully recovered from a hip injury picked up at the Brisbane International this month.

AAP

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First posted January 15, 2012 08:27:04

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Clijsters confident of recovery

Updated January 07, 2012 19:02:25

Kim Clijsters is optimistic she will be in a position to defend her Australian Open title, after scans showed no major damage to her hip.

Belgian Clijsters, who beat China's Li Na to win at Melbourne Park last year, retired hurt during her semi-final against Daniela Hantuchova at the Brisbane International on Friday, complaining of tightness in her hip.

An MRI scan diagnosed a muscle spasm on Clijsters' tensor fascia lata, a muscle on the outside of the hip.

"With this one I kind of have an okay feeling," a report on the Australian Open website said.

"If everything comes out okay it should take a little (less than) a week to get completely healed.

"I felt my left hip was getting tighter and tighter to the point I couldn't move forward with my upper body.

"The smartest choice was not to let it get any worse and try to be right for Melbourne."

The four-time major champion is set to undergo intensive treatment over the next few days and have a second check-up on Wednesday.

Her fellow former world number one Serena Williams, another player to pull out of the Brisbane tournament injured, has had her lead-up to the year's first grand slam disrupted with a twisted ankle, but arrived in Melbourne on Saturday.

"I'm doing everything to heal up," Williams said on her Twitter account with a picture of her next to a private jet with her entourage.

In the men's draw, Roger Federer remains under a cloud after pulling out of the Qatar Open with a back injury following a grinding quarter-final win over Andreas Seppi, but said he was optimistic of proving his fitness in time for Melbourne Park.

Reuters

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First posted January 07, 2012 19:01:02

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Clijsters through to Brisbane semis

Updated January 06, 2012 08:52:06

There was no Sam Stosur but the player once known as "Aussie Kim" made her presence felt at the Brisbane International on Thursday night.

Fifth seed Kim Clijsters booked a semi-final clash with Slovak Daniela Hantuchova by crushing fiesty Czech Iveta Benesova 6-3, 6-2.

Gone are the days that Australia can lay claim to Clijsters, however the world number 13 again endeared herself to the locals by downing the woman who bundled Stosur out.

No longer troubled by an abdominal injury, Clijsters showed she had the stomach for a 42nd WTA title ahead of her Australian Open defence by cruising to victory in 79 minutes.

Clijsters, 28, was denied a quarter-final showdown with Stosur after Czech left-hander Benesova upset the US Open champion 6-4, 6-2 in the second round.

And the four-time grand slam champion did not have it all her own way early against the world number 54 on Thursday night.

However, Clijsters' powerful forehand proved the difference as the 2010 tournament champion extended her record at the event to 8-0.

"Lefties are a bit harder to read anyway but it was hard to see when she is going to change direction on the court - it was tough to read her," Clijsters said of her opponent.

"I tried to be in charge of the rally as soon as I could because she is so sharp."

Clijsters was pleased to have overcome Benesova but believed she was still reaping the benefits of her second round, three-set win over former world number one Ana Ivanovic.

"I am starting to feel more confident. I was up and down in my previous matches, especially in the one against Ana - that wasn't there (on Thursday night)," she said.

"Which is why I am here, to improve every match and when things aren't going well to learn to find a way to win.

"I was able to do that against Ana. That gives me an advantage going into the next round."

Italy's Francesca Schiavone will face Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in the other semi-final.

The hard-hitting Kanepi beat second seed and world number 10 Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-6.

Kanepi had been cruising to victory but needed five match points to seal the win as her German opponent offered some late resistance.

Petkovic had been hampered by a back injury throughout the match but was able to increase the pressure when the 26-year-old was serving for the match at 5-4 and eventually forced a tie-break.

Despite having an opportunity to finish off the match on three further occasions, Kanepi finally managed to seal the win 9-7 in the tie-break after 100 minutes.

Third seed Schiavone had earlier ground down former world number one Jelena Jankovic in a drawn-out quarter-final that lasted almost three hours as both players squandered numerous match point opportunities.

Men's second seed Gilles Simon, started sluggishly but managed to overcome Santiago Giraldo 7-6, 6-4 in the men's quarter-finals.

His reward is a final-four showdown with third seed Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, who beat former champion Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Simon, who beat American Ryan Sweeting and Australia's James Duckworth in the first two rounds, is building nicely for the Australian Open later this month in Melbourne, something the Frenchman was pleased with.

"I've already played three good matches so it's good preparation for Melbourne," Simon said.

"I'm feeling good, I'm moving better and better everyday."

AAP/AFP

Tags: tennis, brisbane-4000

First posted January 05, 2012 21:31:59

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Clijsters injured in Brisbane semi

Updated January 07, 2012 12:02:57

Kim Clijsters has suffered an injury scare ahead of her Australian Open title defence after being forced to retire from her semi-final at the Brisbane International.

Clijsters was leading 7-6, 1-3 against Daniela Hantuchova when she called it quits with what appeared to be a hip injury.

The world number 13, playing her first tournament in five months, had called for a medical time-out the game before and received treatment before leaving Pat Rafter Arena to be strapped.

She jogged back on to the applause of the 5,000-strong crowd but was noticeably limited in her movement as Hantuchova fired down successive aces to hold serve.

It continues a wretched run for the female tournament drawcards in Brisbane after Serena Williams also withdrew due to an ankle injury she sustained in the second round just after top seed Sam Stosur was upset in front of her home fans.

"I felt my left hip was getting tighter and tighter to the point I couldn't move forward with my upper body," she said, admitting it felt stiff before the match.

"The smartest choice was not to let it get any worse and try to be right for Melbourne."

Clijsters will undergo scans on Saturday but she believed her preventative action would ensure she would be fit at Melbourne Park.

The four-times grand slam winner suffered the same injury in August 2010 in Toronto.

"With this one I kind of have an okay feeling," she said.

"If everything comes out okay tomorrow it should take a little (less than) a week to get completely healed."

Hantuchova, who progressed to the semi-finals thanks to a walkover against Williams, will play world number 34 Kaia Kanepi in the final after the Estonian upset an off-colour Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-0 in the late semi-final.

Despite being the favourite, third seed Schiavone was blown off the court in 56 minutes as Kanepi set up what would have been seen as the most unlikely of finals at the start of the tournament.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted January 06, 2012 21:57:47

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Clijsters opens Brisbane account

Updated January 01, 2012 18:49:19

Kim Clijsters says she is looking forward to some much-needed match practise after powering past Romania's Simona Halep in the first round of the Brisbane International.

Clijsters, who won the season-opening Brisbane tournament in 2010 in a classic final against Justine Henin, blasted through the first set then held off Halep in the second to win 6-1, 6-4.

The 28-year-old Belgian will be trying to defend her Australian Open crown later this month but concedes to being a bit rusty after missing the last seven months of 2011 with injury problems.

"It's important for me to get back into that kind of match rhythm," Clijsters said.

"I think it's difficult to get into that rhythm of playing matches a couple of days in a row.

"I would like to have that opportunity here. Obviously if not, it doesn't happen but it would be nice to achieve that."

Clijsters declared herself delighted with how she played against Halep, the world number 47, who reached the Australian Open third round last year.

"For a first match this was pretty good," she said.

"In the second set there were a few little errors that I need to focus on in my next match, but overall I had a good feeling, I felt that I was playing aggressively, so I was pretty happy with that."

In the women's draw, Australia's Casey Dellacqua made an exit in the first round, going down 6-4, 6-2 to Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski.

Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova defeated countrywoman Lucie Safarova 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 and third-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone progressed to the second round after

Kazakhstan's Ksenia Pervak retired after just eight games with a headache.

The score was deadlocked at 4-4 when Pervak retired.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted January 01, 2012 18:27:28

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Injured Clijsters out of Wimbledon

Updated June 16, 2011 09:07:00

Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters has withdrawn from next week's Wimbledon Championships due to a foot injury, it was confirmed overnight.

The 28-year-old suffered a recurrence of an old ankle injury during a shock 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 defeat to Italian qualifier Romina Oprandi at a WTA tournament in the Netherlands on Tuesday.

"I'm very, very disappointed to have to withdraw from Wimbledon after injuring my foot again at the tournament in s'Hertogenbosch," Clijsters said.

"At this moment I feel frustrated that it has to happen now before one of my favourite tournaments.

"I've always enjoyed being a part of the Wimbledon atmosphere but I have no other choice now but to rest, recover and to not play tennis for a few weeks."

The reigning US and Australian Open champion has had a difficult season since winning the Australian Open in January, struggling with shoulder and ankle injuries that have limited her appearances.

- AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-kingdom, england

First posted June 16, 2011 06:14:00

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Media Call: Kim Clijsters

Published:Friday, May 27, 2011 12:24 AESTExpires:Thursday, August 25, 2011 12:24 AEST

Second seed Kim Clijsters said she was left frustrated after squandering two match points to lose in three sets to world number 114 Arantxa Rus at the French Open.

Tags: sport, tennis

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Clijsters glad to end Paris exile

Posted May 25, 2011 10:56:00

Kim Clijsters admitted it was great to be back at Roland Garros for the first time in five years, a return marked by a straight sets win in the French Open first round.

The Belgian second seed, whose last appearance ended in a semi-final defeat to compatriot Justine Henin in 2006, looked decidedly rusty on her claycourt return before seeing off Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-2, 6-3.

But the 27-year-old, a two-time finalist and who already has the US and Australian Opens under her belt, insists the old hunger is still there.

"I'm even more excited," said Clijsters, whose first final appearance in Paris was 10 years ago against Jennifer Capriati.

"I was really looking forward to it. I remember that I played some matches on Suzanne Lenglen court. I remember that I didn't really like it too much. Now I was like, 'great, I get to play there.'"

Clijsters was a serious injury doubt in the lead-up to the French Open.

She did not play a claycourt event after a freak injury caused by dancing barefoot at a family wedding.

That extended an absence from the tour already stretching back to Miami in March because of a shoulder problem.

But her determination to make Roland Garros this year after missing out in 2010 through injury was as solid as ever.

"Even after Australia, all my workouts were with the clay season in mind. So it was disappointing when it (the ankle injury) happened, but it kind of just gave me another extra spark," she said.

"Last year I had the experience of not playing here and I didn't like it at all. I came to watch (Belgian compatriot) Kirsten Flipkens play, and that made it all even a little bit worse.

"So that motivated me more to work hard with my ankle and to go see my trainer a few times a day to heal faster."

Clijsters is still careful with her schedule.

The bulk of her five-year absence from Paris was due to retirement when she married basketball player Brian Lynch and started a family.

Daughter Jada, now four, was courtside to see her mother win her opener.

Clijsters watched some tennis from home during her recent time off court, even cheering on Maria Sharapova when the Russian, who has also been plagued by injuries, won the Rome International two weeks ago.

"I think she looked more happy than I have seen her, besides a Grand Slam, obviously. She looked extremely happy," she said.

"And I enjoyed the emotions that her boyfriend gave and all that stuff. You know, the cute stuff."

Clijsters and Sharapova have something in common, apart from Grand Slam titles and a history of injuries.

Sharapova also has a basketball player in her life, NBA star Sasha Vujacic.

"They're big, but they're softies," said Clijsters.

- AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, france

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Clijsters makes long-awaited French return

Published:Wednesday, May 25, 2011 11:16 AEST

Belgium's Kim Clijsters hits a return to Belarus's Anastasiya Yakimova during their Women's first round match in the French Open on May 24, 2011.

Tags: sport, tennis, france

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