Oh, baby, Clijsters can win this U.S. Open
Photo credit: Newsday/Photo by Jason DeCrow | Belgium's Kim Clijsters hits a forehand against Venus Williams, of the United States, during the fourth round of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009 in Flushing Meadows. (Photo by Jason DeCrow)
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Labor Day is Monday. Mother's Day was Sunday, at least out at the U.S. Open.
Kim Clijsters shed a couple of tears of joy at Arthur Ashe Stadium late Sunday afternoon after her comeback took an unexpected, happy turn - into the quarterfinals of her first Open in four years.
Her 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 win over Venus Williams will be remembered for many things. It was an epic that began with two equally one-sided, awful sets and became a best-of-one-set match that showed that the 26-year-old mom has more than just the experience of being a former Open champion. She has the skills and the athleticism still.
She also has the will, something that is sorely lacking on this biggest stage from, oh, every woman in the draw save for Venus and Serena, the usual suspects.
Venus was hobbled by a bum knee the entire week, but she still made it to the round of 16 and expected more - at least a semifinal date with her sister.
The argument about who's No. 1 is old and tired. It's about who rises to the occasion. Clijsters, a longtime grinder who finally broke through in 2005 at Flushing Meadows, has returned with more grit than 95 percent of the top-drawer players, such as Dinara Safina, who has far more excuses than major singles match wins.
Women's tennis in particular has always been a family affair - witness Richard Williams sitting glumly on a chaise in the outdoor players' lounge, politely telling a group of reporters to "go ask Venus how she did today."
Parents are a must for any woman's entourage; most of them aren't old enough to drink in this country.
But upstairs in the lounge, 18-month-old Jada Lynch got the biggest smile of the day from her mother when Clijsters made it out of the locker room.
"She knows that her mother plays tennis and that she says, 'Uh!' " said Brian Lynch, Clijsters' husband and a former Villanova basketball player.
When Clijsters started seriously thinking about a comeback seven months ago, Lynch - who walked away from the final year of his pro contract with Antwerp in the Belgian League to be a stay-at-home (well, more like traveling) dad - and Clijsters didn't know what to expect.
Sunday was a sign that Clijsters can expect to compete; she has as good a shot as anyone to win this thing.
"I wouldn't have stopped playing myself if I didn't know she was serious about this," Lynch said. "It's a unique dynamic, with a husband and a daughter on the road with her. We can't look too far down the road."
No need, really. Clijsters is a win away from meeting Serena in the semis, a match that will be tougher than Venus essentially playing on one leg thanks to patella tendinitis. Serena is playing some of her best tennis of the year, a year in which she's already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
But Clijsters has the benefit of being away for 21/2 years. It should be a negative for her, but she's already shown that the top women who were around when Clijsters was a world No. 1 - and it's really only Venus and Serena, plus a few underachievers who already have taken a dive here - have forgotten that Clijsters got to the top by being fitter and faster than everyone else.
"It's great to see all the work of the last seven months pay off," Lynch said. "It's not that surprising to see she's doing so well."
So Jada Lynch will get to hear her mother say "Uh!" a few more times.
That's the best news of this U.S. Open so far.
