(PRINTWORDS NEWS) Belgian tennis ace Kim Clijsters registered the first Australian Open win of her career during the nail-biting clash against China’s Li Na at the finals of the championship held at Melbourne on Saturday. The three set victory was all the more special for the Belgian ace as the win marked her fourth major grand slam triumph. After defeating Li Na 3-6 6-3 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena, Clijsters could not hold back her tears after sealing victory at the finals.
Although China’s Li Na had put her best foot forward during the initial part of the game by reserving the first set and going on to take a 3-2 lead in the second one, her dream of becoming the first Asian player to win a singles grand slam title was thrashed as Clijsters soon took control of the game and there was no looking back for the Belgian ace from there. The Chinese player soon relinquished the pace which she had dominated the first half of the game, enabling her opponent to take full advantage of her mistakes while dashing to the ground her dream of winning a grand slam title.
Following her first Australian Open victory, Clijsters had nothing but words of appreciation for her Chinese opponent. While talking to reporters at a post-match interview, the Belgian tennis ace said, “Li and I have played some amazing matches over a number of years- she’s a tough competitor.” However, the Chinese ace was indeed proud of her achievements at the prestigious championship and later said, “It doesn’t matter if I won or lost today, I played my best tennis.
