Kim to say goodbye

Three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters is ready to give up the globe-trotting tennis star life at the age of 29 in order to spend more time as a wife and mother.

But first, she's going to give winning a Grand Slam title one last try.

The Belgian star began the final tournament of her WTA career by defeating American teen Victoria Duval 6-3, 6-1 on Monday on the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where she captured US Open crowns in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

"It's going in the upward direction," Clijsters said of her game, citing her comfort with New York and the courts as well as a strong week of practice. "I was playing a lot better in the second set."

Clijsters, whose Grand Slam title haul also includes last year's Australian Open, stretched her US Open win streak to 22 matches. She has not lost at the US Open since falling to compatriot Justine Henin in the 2003 final.

AFP

(China Daily 08/29/2012 page24)