31 Mar 2011

MIAMI • KIM STOPPED IN QUARTERS


MAR. 31 • Kim's Miami run has ended in quarterfinals as she was defeated by Victoria Azarenka in straight sets 3-6 3-6. Kim clearly did not show her best form on the court and only truly woke up when led 1-5 in the second set! That's when another epic comeback may have started as Kim saved two match points before winning her own service game to come back to 3-5. But Azarenka then closed it out (with a little bit of help from Kim) to win the match and secure a spot in the semis.


After weeks of tennis and travel, Kim will now have some rest to properly take care of her shoulder and slowly get ready for the clay season! We'll naturally keep you posted!

30 Mar 2011

MIAMI • KIM SURVIVES 5 MATCH POINTS TO REACH QUARTERS!


MAR. 30 • She looked down and out, but four-time Grand Slam champ Kim just wouldn't stop fighting, and on Tuesday pulled off one of the biggest comebacks on the WTA in recent memory, saving five match points to beat Ana Ivanovic in a fourth rounder at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Kim was a heavy on-paper favorite in the match, seeded No.2 to Ivanovic's No.19 and dropping only seven games in the pair's three previous meetings combined. But this time would not be anywhere near as straightforward.


Although she lost the first set in a tie-break, Ivanovic was clearly asserting herself against Kim for the first time in her career. She won five of the next six games after that breaker and eventually took the second set, 6-3, and again won five of six games to go up 5-1 in the third. That game also brought match points, as Kim got down 0-40 on her serve.

That's when the turnaround took place. Kim saved those three match points and another one at ad-out, holding serve for 2-5. She faced a fifth match point serving at 3-5 but saved that, too. The Belgian just wouldn't let go of the title she won for the second time last year, eventually clawing out a 7-6(4) 3-6 7-6(5) win.


'Even if it's 5-1, you start a game at 0-0. Your opponent has to win four points', Kim said. 'You just try to work your way back into it. When you feel your opponent starts to be a little less aggressive and makes a few more mistakes, or looks at the sideline a little bit more, you noticed those things. That's what made me think there was still a little chance.'

Despite the end result, Kim was still impressed with the level from Ivanovic. 'She was playing really well. It has been a long time since I've seen her play like that. Ana is very tough to beat if she can play like that and keep it up.'

Ivanovic was understandably disappointed afterwards but showed her funny side in press when asked if it was hard to accept. 'It's very hard, yeah ― you should see my racquet', the Serb said. 'But I felt like I did nothing wrong. I had my opportunities and she played some really good tennis. I fought hard and stayed with her the whole match. I'm of course disappointed but there are positives.'

Ivanovic, a former No.1, was also very complimentary towards the Belgian. 'I think no matter what the rankings say, she's the hottest player at the moment.'

Awaiting Kim in the quarterfinals will be No.8-seeded Victoria Azarenka. Clijsters leads Azarenka in their head-to-head, 4-1, and in their only meeting this year was an easy winner, beating the Belarusian in Sydney, 6-3 6-2.
(from wtatour.com)

28 Mar 2011

MIAMI • KIM EARNS 500TH CAREER WIN, REACHES 4TH ROUND


MAR. 28 • It took her more than 2 hours, but Kim has successfully qualified for the 4th round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami after defeating Martinez Sanchez 6-4 4-6 6-3. For the anecdote, this was Kim's 500th career win!


Martinez Sanchez, a left-handed player and the No. 27 seed, challenged Kim with a powerful return game, while Kim had more unforced errors than usual. Nevertheless, our No.1 Belgian player saved five of nine break points to close out the match with a total of 33 winners.

In the 4th round, Kim will meet No. 19 seed Ana Ivanovic.

25 Mar 2011

MIAMI • KIM EASILY THROUGH TO 3RD ROUND


MAR. 25 • In Miami, Kim has won her first match of the Sony Ericsson Open over qualifier Anastasiya Yakimova. It took our favourite Belgian only 50 minutes to roll past the Belarusian, who could only take 2 games.

Kim claimed the first set 6-1 and broke Yakimova to go up 4-1 in the second set. At 5-1, with Clijsters up 30-0, Yakimova won two points in a row to hold off a break, but Clijsters answered with two points to take the match 6-1, 6-1.


Kim could face the Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the 3rd round.

22 Mar 2011

MIAMI • KIM'S DRAW


MAR. 22 Hello guys, we're back as the Sony Ericsson Open is getting started in Miami. As you probably know, Kim returns to Florida as the tournament's defending champion but is yet to recover fully from a shoulder injury that forced her to pull our of Indian Wells last week.

The draw has been revealed in Miami and here is what it looks like for Kim:

As the 2nd seed, Kim has got a 1st round bye and will come into action in the 2nd round where she'll face the Belarusian Anastasiya YakimovaIn the 3rd round, Kim might face Martinez Sanchez, then Ivanovic or Kanepi in the 4th round.In quarterfinals, Kim could fight against Cibulkova/Azarenka/Kvitova for a spot in the semifinals, where she could face Schiavone, Bartoli or Zvonareva.In the top half are all possible final opponents for Kim, including Wozniacki, LiSharapova, Jankovic and Stosur.

You can have a look at the whole draw here.

16 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • INJURED SHOULDER FORCES KIM TO RETIRE


MAR. 16  What Kim had been fearing for some time now has become a painful reality. Her shoulder did not last against Marion Bartoli, which saw her retire from Indian Wells.

Since the Australian Open 2 months ago Kim  had been suffering from a pinching pain in her right shoulder. She continued to play nonetheless, but her match against Bartoli was the one too many. Kim started the match well though and won the first set 6-3. Sadly enough the pain set in after that. 


At 1-2 in the second set Kim had her right shoulder treated, but it did not appear to have any effect. She then went to to lose one more game and was forced to pull out. After an hour and five minutes she left the court. 

Earlier this week Kim had already indicated that there was an issue with her shoulder. 'But nothing serious, it would only need some treatment. Maybe I'm just getting old', Kim tweeted.

Kim will now undergo some tests in order to assess the seriousness of the injury and will try to recover for next week's Miami tournament, of which she is the defending champion...

15 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • 4TH ROUND INFO


MAR. 15 • Kim's 4th round match against Frenchwoman Bartoli will be played second on Centre Court, not before 1pm, local time.

14 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • KIM TOUGHS IT OUT


MAR. 14 • In Indian Wells Kim has now reached the 4th round after defeating the Italian Sara Errani in 3 sets 6-3 2-6 6-4.


Clijsters admitted she wasn’t overly pleased with her performance, but drew on the positives. 'I played a tricky player who played a good match, and I was still able to win without being close to coming to my best level', she said. 'That's the positive thing. I also know that for my next match everything will have to be a lot better. That's what my goal will be for that next match, is trying to achieve that.'

Clijsters, who has reached the final in all three of her main draw appearances this season, next plays France’s Marion Bartoli. The No. 15 seed defeated 21st-seeded German Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-2.

'Bartoli is a player who hits the ball very fast, likes to play into the court, and also likes girls who play fast', she said. 'I'm going to have to try and mix it up a little bit more. And obviously, she's not a bad mover, but she's not the greatest mover out there, so I'm going to have to really try and go for those lines and make her move and not let her go into the court and dictate and let her use those down the lines too much.'

13 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • 3RD ROUND INFO


MAR. 13 • In Indian Wells, Kim's 3rd round match against Sara Errani will be played after two men's matches on Centre Court, not before 2.30pm, local time.

12 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • KIM CRUISES INTO 3RD ROUND


MAR. 12 • After a 1st round bye, Kim came into action yesterday in Indian Wells; and it was a winning return as she defeated the Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2 6-0 in less than an hour.


Kim was playing in her first match in nearly a month after opening the year with three straight final appearances, winning the Australian Open in between runner-up finishes at Sydney and Paris. 

'I'm at a stage now where I haven't played for a while, and when I was playing, my last few tournaments were indoors, so I kind of just have to get back into playing outdoors again and big arenas, and kind of just get a feel for it all over again because it's been a while', she said. 

The 27-year-old Belgian is attempting to win her third BNP Paribas Open title, and next faces Sara Errani, a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 winner over No. 29 seed Jarmila Groth.

11 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • 2ND ROUND INFO


MAR. 11 • In Indian Wells Kim comes into action today as she faces Alla Kudryavtseva in the 2nd round. The match is scheduled on Stadium 1 as the 3rd day match, and will probably not start before 2pm, local time.

8 Mar 2011

INDIAN WELLS • KIM'S DRAW


MAR. 8 • Kim will come back into action this week in the United States as she is taking part in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells

The draw has just been revealed and here is what it looks like for Kim:

Kim is the 2nd seed and has got a 1st round bye.
In the 2nd round, Kim will face Russia's Alla KUDRYAVTSEVA or a qualifier.
Things should from then on get a little more complicated for Kim, who could face Jarmila GROTH in the 3rd round, before a possible 4th-round clash against Marion BARTOLI or Andrea PETKOVIC.
Should Kim reach the quarters, she would then probably face Petra KVITOVA, Jelena JANKOVIC or Ana IVANOVIC to set up a semifinal against Vera ZVONAREVA or Francesca SCHIAVONE.
In the top half are all possible final opponents for Kim, including Caroline WOZNIACKI, Victoria AZARENKA, Na LI, Maria SHARAPOVA, Svetlana KUZNETSOVA and Samantha STOSUR.


You can check out the whole draw here.