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Clijsters has already recaptured her old form

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Matt Cronin

Matt Cronin is a senior editor at Inside Tennis magazine and the co-owner of the award-winning TennisReporters.net.

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Updated Sep 1, 2009 1:20 PM ET
     
 

NEW YORK

In just the third tournament of her comeback, 2005 U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters is already a sexy pick to reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows.
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Yes. You heard me correctly. As Clijsters showed in Monday's dominating 6-1, 6-1 victory over Viktoriya Kutuzova — just as she showed in wins over Marion Bartoli, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati and Toronto — the former world No. 1 still has phenomenal athleticism and electrifying power off the ground. Defending champion Serena Williams said she was amazed that Clijsters, now the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, hasn't lost a step. Clijsters wouldn't say the same, but she's pretty pleased with how she's been able to focus without hearing her toddler's footsteps in the back of her head. "I still feel like I can improve," the 26-year-old Clijsters said. "But I'm definitely comfortable where I am, and I think it's always a matter of just trying to work on those little things, assessing every match that I play. "The match rhythm is something I have to get used to. Matches like today, I didn't really get tested. So that's the biggest key, playing those tough matches and seeing when it becomes close and how I react in those kinds of situations. And I would like to have more of those matches." Clijsters will get one of those in the second round when she faces Bartoli, who knocked off two-time U.S. Open champ Venus Williams in the Stanford final in July. While Clijsters had her way with the Frenchwoman at Cincinnati in a 6-4, 6-3 victory, Bartoli is a streaky player who is capable of hurting anyone off the ground when she's on.
Bartoli, a 2007 Wimbledon finalist, was displeased with her performance in Cincinnati and thinks that this time around she'll have a much better idea how to deal with Clijsters' power. "I played really badly and was still close to her in the first set, but I didn't have an idea of how she was going to play and that's really tough when you go on court," Bartoli said. "I hadn't seen her play in two years and I tried to figure it out when I went on court and that didn't work. "She moves very well, but I have beaten girls like [Jelena] Jankovic and Venus and they move well. This time I have a plan." Clijsters' plan is to dictate immediately, and use short angles so as not to allow Bartoli to camp in the center of the court and blast two-handers off both wings into the corners. If Clijsters can beat the somewhat inconsistent Bartoli, her next heavyweight opponent would likely be Venus in the fourth round. Williams, who hasn't won an outdoor U.S. hard court title since 2002, has been a mystery this summer. For Clijsters, all the hard work she put in earlier this year seems to be really paying off. And despite tight losses to Dinara Safina and Jankovic (where she was up 5-3 in the third set), Clijsters' experience and composure should benefit her during tense moments of close matches. "I know when I am out there, whether it's 5-all in the third or something, that's not going to be an issue," she said. We'd be foolish to doubt her.

Is Azarenka ready?

Despite blitzing Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-1 on Monday, it's been a difficult summer for Victoria Azarenka, who has dropped matches to Maria Sharapova, Jankovic and Clijsters. She reached the quarterfinals in the year's first three Slams, and can certainly hang with anyone. But after taking down Serena to win in Miami, Azarenka has had to deal with the added pressure of having a target on her back, rather than being an up-and-coming player. "It's been good and bad because I lost to three former No. 1s," Azarenka said. "I had chances. You can't say they didn't have nothing to lose, but I didn't play great and they played better. Two years ago when I went to play against someone I was the underdog. Now I'm the favorite in most the matches so people are expecting me to win more. I just have to play better."

Big John's big win

Younger U.S. players had a difficult Monday at the Open with Devin Britton, Alexa Glatch and Donald Young bowing out in the first round. But the towering John Isner scored a substantial victory when he took down No. 28 seed Victor Hanescu 6-1, 7-6 (14), 7-6 (5). The 6-foot-9 service bomber stayed tough from the baseline while also winning 40 of 65 points at the net. Isner is now looking at a potential third-round blockbuster against Andy Roddick, whom he nearly toppled in Washington. "I want to be a big name in tennis, not just American tennis," Isner said. "So I want my name to be thrown out there at the other events, not just the ones that are in the States."

Is Young ready to grow up?

Once considered a top U.S. prospect, 20-year-old Donald Young was not given a wild-card entry at this year's Open and was forced to qualify. The USTA sent him a letter before the tournament began, stating that if he wanted to continue to work with their Player Development program, he'd have to stop taking coaching from his parents, whom some in tennis circles believe are stunting his career. Young doesn't plan on doing so, but says he's dissatisfied with his results. "I don't see why I have to leave home," said the No. 185-ranked Young, who lives in Atlanta. "There are a lot of people saying what I should do. I feel like I need to go back to basics and I started listening to a lot of different people and they start getting into my head and you can't really think straight."

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