Clijsters defeats Kirilenko for a 2-1 lead
28th April 2006
(Liege, Belgium) Kim Clijsters took the Belgium Fed Cup team to a 2-1 lead after she defeated Russian Maria Kirilenko in straight sets. After losing to Elena Dementieva, Clijsters had set her mind on winning, whatever it took. She was far from happy with her lost match on Saturday, and determined to take Belgium to 2-1. Kirilenko was the stand in for Nadia Petrova, who decided not to play. After her tournaments in the US, she didn’t feel physically strong enough to play another match against Clijsters.
Clijsters started aggressively from the start, hitting winners with her forehand and taking advantage of Kirilenko’s unforced errors. The Belgian took a 5-0 lead before Russia’s Kirilenko could hold her own service game. Clijsters finished the first set after 30 minutes of playing, 6-1.
In the second set Kirilenko showed some more resistance. The youngster from Moscow could keep up with Clijsters until 2 all and then lost her service game in the fifth game.
The Belgian No.1 held on to her service for 4-2, and she broke the Russian again for 5-2. Clijsters, however, could not serve out the match and lost her service game after Kirilenko hit a service return winner and a forehand winner at 30 all.
Kirilenko held on to her service in the ninth game for 5-4, but Clijsters didn’t fail to serve for the game, the set and the match this time. She closed the match after 72 minutes when Kirilenko hit a service return long, 6-1, 6-4.
“I had to focus on my own game. I didn’t do that yesterday against Dementieva,” Clijsters said. “I am obviously more satisfied than yesterday. Today I was dominating, and yesterday I let Dementieva dominate. That was wrong.
“I am prepared to play against the United States if we are going to win this meeting against Russia today. But first I will have to prepare to play the double,” the Belgian No.1 said.
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