Live Analysis: the Women’s Final

One wonders what the odds were of a Kim Clijsters-Caroline Wozniacki women’s final at this year’s United States Open, with the ninth seed facing the unseeded former champion. It promises to be a different brand of tennis than we have seen in the previous Slams.

Wozniacki, 19, plays high-percentage, unspectacular tennis, winning with great decision making and precise court positioning. She plays a bit like Martina Hingis, using her opponent’s pace to tip them off balance. She is rock solid, and has handled the pressure with a combination of coolness and charm.

Kim Clijsters, 26, who reached the final after Saturday’s bizarre semifinal against Serena Williams, could easily have faced Wozniacki in the first round at the Open. Such are the vagaries of the draw. But Clijsters emerged in the vastly more difficult bottom half, beating both Williams sisters en route to the final.

Second set: Clijsters 2, Wozniacki 1
After a momentum staying hold by Wozniacki, Clijsters ripped several big forehands to hold. Wozniacki is getting killed when she plays her forehand cross-court wide to Clijsters’s forehand. Clijsters is dominating with strong forehand play; she keeps hitting out fearlessly even after an unforced error.

Clijsters Wins the First Set, 7-5
Wozniacki outplayed Clijsters from 0-2 up until she seved for the first set at 5-4. Clijsters dominated the last three games of the set. Early second set is a critical part of the match. For Wozniacki to get back into contention, she must settle down and neutralize Clijsters’s big weapons. She won points by forcing errors from Clijsters. She played uncharacteristically fast in the first set’s final three games.

Score: Clijsters 6, Wozniacki 5
Clijsters staves off two break points with classic smash-mouth tennis. An ace, a ripped approach, and a putaway overhead announce that she is playing to win. The level of play is fairly high, with a defensive genius, Wozniacki, going up against a champion ball striker in Clijsters.

Score: Wozniacki 5, Clijsters 4
A remarkable break of serve for Wozniacki, who played into the wind expertly. On break point she hit a sky lob that the wind kept in, then followed it into the net and played two improvised shots with great hands, great instincts. She serves for the first set with the wind at her back. Look for her to hit heavy top that the wind picks up.

Score: Wozniacki 3, Clijsters 2
Wozniacki breaks. She plays a lot like Nikolay Davydenko on the men’s tour in that she is extremely disciplined, even predictable, in shot selection. But she is relentless as well, and Clijsters looked momentarily beleaguered. Look for Clijsters to work hard to re-establish control in these two games.

Score: Clijsters 2, Wozniacki 1
A very important break for Wozniacki puts her back on serve. Clijsters is striking the ball beautifully. She is stepping in and clobbering anything short by Wozniacki. The Dane countered with variety, throwing in a loop or two and attacking. Watch Wozniacki slide into the middle to play a backhand - clearly her stronger side.

By Geoff Macdonald
source: nytimes.com