The women’s final at the 2009 US Open will be a feel-good affair regardless of who hoists the trophy at the end of the evening.
A big win under the lights of Flushing Meadows could not happen to one of two nicer women on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki represent both the past and future of professional tennis. Clijsters has long been revered as one of the game’s best sportswomen and since her return, her comeback story has inspired thousands around the world. The poor behavior of her opponent on Saturday night only served to make Clijsters’ legacy as a positive role model stand out even further.
As for Wozniacki, she is one of the nicest—-and now most successful of the young players rising up through ranks. The first of the group that includes Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Sabine Lisicki and Sorana Cirstea to reach a Grand Slam final, this is truly the biggest moment of her career. Upon her nineteen year-old shoulders rest the hopes of her entire nation as prior to this week, no player from Denmark, male or female, had ever reached a major semifinal in the Open era.
Her credentials heading into the final certainly speak for themselves. Wozniacki has won more matches (62) than any other player on Tour this year, including world number one and two players Dinara Safina and Serena Williams, respectively. In addition, Caroline is riding an eleven-match win streak after capturing the title at the final US Open warm-up tournament, the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven.
Ironically, Wozniacki is not the only player in the final on a win streak.
Kim Clijsters’ streak is actually a few matches longer, just with four years of time in between. Clijsters’ semifinal win on Saturday was her thirteenth consecutive US Open win, dating back to her title run in 2005. Since then Clijsters has not competed at Flushing Meadows because of a left wrist injury and two subsequent years in retirement. It was the site of her first, and exceptionally long-coming major title, and it is especially fitting that she is gunning for her second on the same courts in New York City.
It is a win-win situation for fans and tennis regardless of Sunday’s champion. Clijsters might make a better headline, especially after she sprinted out of no woman’s land (aka as retirement) to win, but Caroline’s critics (myself included) thought that she needed a few more years of experience just to reach a Grand Slam final. This will be a classic battle of old versus new, the veteran versus the newbie, the mother versus the teenager.
In the end, I expect Clijsters’ experience to win the day. She will likely attempt to get a fast start in the match, just as she did to handle Venus and Serena, and dictate the pace of play. To win, Caroline has to sprint out of the gate and force Kim to take a few extra seconds between points. If she lets Kim dictate, the final could become a rather quick affair.
The closest Caroline has ever come to experiencing a big match in Arthur Ashe Stadium was her quarterfinal against Melanie Oudin, and that pales in comparison to what she will face on Sunday. Can she deal with a full house of over 20,000 vocal New York fans, under the bright lights with over a million dollars and a major trophy on the line? That is a tall order for the teenager, who still occasionally appears a bit fragile and susceptible to the moment.
However, for Clijsters, this is her time to shine. These fans helped her win a title back in 2005, so I would look for the New Yorker love to propel Kim straight for another major victory and a remarkable ending to the most inspiring story of the tennis season.
On the Baseline’s live coverage of the 2009 US Open is brought to you by Grand Slam Tennis Tours.
