Clijsters beats Zvonareva for 3rd US Open title

It's Kim Clijsters, again.

It's Kim Clijsters, for the third time.

It's Kim Clijsters, U.S. Open champion.

With a display of overwhelming championship tennis last night, Clijsters beat Vera Zvonareva, 6-2, 6-1, to again hoist the U.S. Open trophy. Clijsters has won the last three Opens she's played, 2005, 2009, 2010. She's won 21 straight matches here, all of them on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

"New York is an amazing place for me," Clijsters told the crowd afterward. "It has brought me nothing but happiness to my tennis life."

There she was for the second straight year with her 2½-year-old daughter Jada at the awards ceremony, such an endearing image from last year and equally sentimental this year. When she tried to give Jada the trophy, she backed away from it.

Mom didn't back away from anything. Coming off difficult three-set wins over Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals and Venus Williams in the semis, perhaps Clijsters might have lost a half step. Zvonareva hadn't lost a set in the tournament and had upset No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semis with ease.

Yet Clijsters didn't lose a step, her marvelous athleticism carrying her to the ball with uncanny ease. She ran down everything, in plenty of time to set up any shot she wanted. Her sense of anticipation was such that she knew where Zvonareva was going with every shot.

The first set began as a battle of equals. There were some thrilling long rallies, superb ground strokes and crisp serving. It looked like it would be a long and intriguing night. Then Clijsters worked Zvonareva to a break point and when Zvonareva hit a backhand long, Clijsters had a one-handed grip on the match. Clijsters broke her again in the eighth game to take the first set, and she had a two-handed grip on the match. Clijsters had only conceded four points on her serve. She was impenetrable.

Clijsters never pulled back on the throttle, getting a break in the second game of the second set and holding for a 3-0 lead. She had won seven consecutive games to that point, bullying Zvonareva around as if this was a schoolyard without a monitor.

When Zvonareva finally held serve in the fourth game, then got a break point in the fifth game on Clijsters serve, well maybe . . .

Not. Clijsters served an ace for deuce, hit a fine overhead for an ad point and put away a sitter to hold serve and squeeze the life out of Zvonareva. Breaking Zvonareva's service again, then holding her own for the match, Clijsters was the champion in majestic style. It took her 59 minutes to do so, the quickest women's Open final since they started timing matches in 1980.

Zvonareva, known for her emotional outbursts - especially in a loss to Flavia Pennetta at the Open last year - busted a racket in anger in the second set, trying to get herself motivated. It didn't help. There were tears during the awards ceremony, but she held herself together well considering this was the second straight major in which she got thrashed.

"I feel a little bit better now than 10 minutes ago when I was losing everything," Zvonareva said when she got to make her speech. "Kim played tremendously well. She deserved to win. Even though I lost, I still love New York."

Playing on 9/11, Clijsters told the crowd it was an honor to play on such a solemn day. She became emotional when acknowledging the support of her family and friends, in contrast to the steely way she dismantled Zvonareva.

And she padded her bank account with a $1.7-million first prize plus a bonus of $500,000 for placing second in the U.S. Open series this summer.