Advantage Ciljsters

Wimbledon has the aura of class and tradition, but for me, the U.S. Open has more potential for drama: players under the lights extending matches late into the New York night like kids fending off the first day of school.

Many of my favorite players have retired or pulled out of this year's Open, but in their absence, others have won me over, none more so than Belgian Kim Clijsters. Years ago, I saw her as the rising teen phenom threatening veterans like Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. Now 22, she's been through wrist surgery and an aborted engagement to Aussie star Lleyton Hewitt and is still regarded the nicest player on tour. She'd been picked by many to win this year's Open, but to make that prediction come true, she had to get past Venus Williams, who came in having won another slugfest with sister Serena.

Clijsters's serve was broken late in the first set and early in the second, but in the end she proved herself the fitter player, running down balls and stretching for improbable shots with her patented split (seen below) to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.


Onlookers have questioned Clijsters's toughness in big matches. She lost the 2001 French Open to Capriati 12-10 in the third set. "This could be a career-changer," John McEnroe said of her win over Williams last night.

Clijsters next faces Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. Sharapova pulled out a dramatic three-set win over compatriot Nadia Petrova earlier last night. I'm a Sharapova fan, but her yelling father Yuri reminds me of Palpatine, swaying my rooting interest to Clijsters. And really, if I can't root for my favorites against all odds, what's the point?