The ball hung in the air as if suspended by a string, with just about every eye inside Rod Laver Arena focused on its flight. Then Kim Clijsters swooped forward and struck a swinging forehand volley winner that sealed her seventh trip to the Australian Open semifinals—while simultaneously costing Caroline Wozniacki the world No. 1 ranking.
The defending champion overpowered Wozniacki for much of the match, sputtered with nerves near the finish line, but regained her range to register a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory and extend her Melbourne winning streak to 12 matches. The loss means Wozniacki, who has spent 67 weeks occupying the top spot, will lose it to either Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, or Maria Sharapova.
Showing no signs of immobility from the sprained ankle she suffered four games into her frenetic fourth-round win over Li Na, Clijsters was quick off the mark from the first point. She beat Wozniacki to the ball and crunched shots into the corners, sending the top seed into a series of side-to-side sprints in the early stages.
Playing with a sense of urgency and stepping into the court to take time away from her opponent, Clijsters cracked three forehand winners in the first five points to break in the opening game—one of three straight service breaks to start the match. Clijsters sent a signal of her aggressive intent when she danced around her backhand and obliterated a Wozniacki second serve with a forehand rocket down the line to break, and consolidated for 3-1.
This is a comfortable match-up for Clijsters because she does everything a bit better and there's little Wozniacki can do to hurt her. The 11th-seeded Belgian can transition from defense to offense in the space of a single swing, whereas the defensive-minded Dane lacks such explosiveness and must methodically build points shot by shot. Clijsters was winless vs. world No. 1 players in five prior major matches, but she overwhelmed Wozniacki hitting three times as many winners (39 to 13) and breaking serve six times.
Swinging with greater conviction and hitting her backhand down the line to Wozniacki's weaker forehand, Clijsters won eight of nine points in one stretch, including a backhand that collided with the top of the tape and plopped over the net for her third break and a 5-2 lead. Wozniacki broke back for 3-5 and fought off four set points before Clijsters knocked off a forehand sitter to end the 43-minute first set.
The four-time Grand Slam champion opened a 5-2 second set lead, but creeping nerves constricted Clijsters' right arm and Wozniacki, who had spaced out six feet behind the baseline, began to straddle the baseline and swing with more authority. When Wozniacki whipped her first backhand winner for a 4-3 lead in the breaker, she seemed to finally have some momentum. But Clijsters recalled less stressful times and blasted her way out of trouble, including an inside-out forehand to set up the match-ending swing volley. She carries a 4-2 record against Azarenka, her semifinal opponent.
—Richard Pagliaro
