Elena Rybakina put on a brilliant performance to defeat favourite Aryna Sabalenka 64, 46, 64 and lift her first Australian Open trophy.
Sabalenka primed for Rybakina rematch with eyes on third Australian Open crown
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams thanked Australian Open organisers on Saturday for giving her a wildcard that will see the 45-year-old American become the oldest woman ever to compete in the singles main draw.
Her elaborate outfit required years of Nike production planning, with crystals proving particularly challenging on performance wear. The dramatic hair change after walking out onto the court was always part of the plan.
Clijsters returned to action in February 2020 but did not win a single match and also had to undergo knee surgery in October that year
Four-times Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters, due to make her professional comeback after a seven-year hiatus, said she will be selective in picking the tournaments she plays to give her time to focus on her children. A mother of three, the 36-year-old Belgian announced plans in September to come out of retirement for a second time. But her return, initially scheduled for January, has been pushed back due to a knee injury.
Kim Clijsters says there was much to be pleased about in her comeback match against Garbine Muguruza after the Belgian matched the pace and intensity of the Australian Open finalist before losing 6-2, 7-6(6) in Dubai on Monday. Four-time Grand Slam champion Clijsters was making her first appearance on the WTA Tour since the 2012 US Open and the 36-year-old said she is looking forward to getting more matches under her belt.
The tournament will take place in a quarantined setting from Aug. 31-Sept. 13 in New York. The Western & Southern Open, which was relocated from Cincinnati this year, will be held from Aug. 20-28 as a warm-up event for the Grand Slam.
The decision marks Clijsters' second return to the sport after first retiring in 2007.
The world No. 1 was beaten by unseeded Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya in the third round of the Canadian Open.
Former world number one Kim Clijsters announced her immediate retirement from tennis on her Web site on Sunday.
'There are some challenges and combining parenting at home and teaching the kids at home and still going to practice and things like that, so it was challenging but at the same time you get through that together.'
A factor that could work in the Belgian's favour is the unprecedented nature of this year's Grand Slam.
Kim Clijsters beat Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 to set up a quarter-final clash with Venus Williams at the Antwerp Diamond Games.
The Belgian ace made the semi-finals of the Acura Classic along with Justine Henin-Hardenne and Lindsay Davenport.
Former world number one players Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick headlined the International Tennis Hall of Fame's list of 2017 inductees announced on Monday.
The Belgian world number six will face Kaia Kanepi the final of the Hasselt Cup.
The US Open champion beat the world number one in a hard-fought Champions Challenge final in Hong Kong.
The Belgian beat Martina Hingis 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to enter the semifinal of the Australian Open
The former world number one celebrated her long-awaited return from a serious wrist injury with a demolition job against Croatia's Jelena Kostanic in the Antwerp Open.
Former world number one Kim Clijsters intends to return from her long-term injury at the Antwerp Diamond Games in mid-February.
The 20-year-old Belgian easily beat France's Amelie Mauresmo in the final to pick her ninth title of the year.
But the Belgian will not need more surgery on her wrist after suffering an injury in the Belgian Open.
"I'm extremely happy with my early Christmas present," said 20-year-old Belgian Clijsters.\n\n
The world number two secured her first title in Belgium by defeating Italy's Silvia Farina Elia 6-3 6-0 to win the Antwerp Diamond Games.
The Belgian duo set up a rematch of their French Open final after winning their semi-finals at the Ordina Open. \n\n
Belgium's Kim Clijsters's romance with Australian Lleyton Hewitt is over and they will not be getting married in February as planned.
Former tennis world number one and sporting media darling Kim Clijsters is pregnant with her first child, Belgian sports web site www.sport.be reported on Tuesday, citing her father.
Belgium's Kim Clijsters wasted little time in flattening second seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 with an awesome display of power tennis to reach her second Australian Open final on Thursday.
Belarussian Victoria Azarenka produced some sparkling tennis to defeat an out-of-sorts world number two Kim Clijsters in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday.
She will play unseeded American Serena Williams in the Australian Open final.
Andrea Petkovic pulled off another upset at the Sony Ericsson Open on Tuesday, defeating sixth seed Jelena Jankovic to reach the semi-finals, while Kim Clijsters needed all her big-match experience just to stay in the tournament.
Kim Clijsters captured her third US Open singles title after thrashing Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1 in Saturday's final.
Martina Hingis of Switzerland climbed 232 places to number 117 after reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The world number two suffered a surprise defeat by the Russian in the last 16 of the Italian Open.
Some words of consolation from US Open champion Kim Clijsters made the bitter pill of a second successive Grand Slam final defeat easier to swallow for Vera Zvonareva.
The Russian ace beat top seed Kim Clijsters 7-5, 7-5 to win the Acura Classic.
Top seed Kim Clijsters beat Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2 in Sunday's final.
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