Sunday, September 6, 2009

Kim Possible Strikes Again

There is seemingly no limit to what Kim Clijsters can do.

Her match against Venus was totally weird, to say the least - I can't remember the last time I saw players trade bagels! Momentum was an issue, but once Kim got that vital break in the third set it just sort of felt Clijsters all the way... even when she was down break points serving for the match.

Beating Venus is a totally different thing than beating Serena, but the achievement of beating a Williams in New York is still massive. You've got to like Kimmie's chances of making the semis now - she plays Li Na in the quarters, and that is extraordinarily winnable, when you consider the scalps she's already claimed. This has got to be the best comeback I have ever seen.

If Serena and Kim make the semis, whoever wins that match will win the title. I don't know if you can gainsay that.

I don't really have much more to say, apart from whoa. And, oh yeah, how weird was yesterday? (And I know she lost, but I still stand by Dinara Safina. She'll come back... hopefully with that mechanical problem with her serve fixed - please, Zeljko!) The result that got me the most was Andy Roddick. That is such a terrible, terrible shame for him. I guess losing to Isner proves that anyone on pretty much any given day can succumb to one of those Karlovician monsters. Isner played some great shots - droppers especially - but it was the cheap points on the serve that got him over the line.

I have to say that it's a bit of a shame for US tennis that Isner got through, because although he came through Roddick, I can't really see him coming through anyone else, whereas Roddick certainly would have had that ability. You've got to like Djokovic to make it to the semis on that side now... though he struggled a bit against unheralded American Jesse Witten. It's not a bloodbath like the women's side, but the holes are beginning to open...


Today's Results

US Open (Flushing Meadows)

Men's Draw

Rafael Nadal def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-5 6-4 6-4
Juan Martin del Potro def. Daniel Koellerer, 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-3
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Julien Benneteau, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-4
Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Gilles Simon, 1-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 1-0 retired
Fernando Gonzalez def. Tomas Berdych, 7-5 6-4 6-4


Women's Draw

Serena Williams def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-2 6-0
Kim Clijsters def. Venus Williams, 6-0 0-6 6-4
Li Na def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-2 6-3

1 comment:

Tennis Talk, Anyone? said...

Hey Jodi, what's up? I thought I was being clever saying "Kim Possible" on my blog! I think you beat me to the punch!

Anyway, I'm totally shocked by what she's done so far. For someone to take so much time off, then come back and make a great run in a Major ... do you think it says something bad about the women's game that that can happen?