25 Dec 2010

2010 REVIEW NOW ONLINE!

Dec. 25 • Hello everyone and Merry Christmas to you all! As a kind of present, let me inform you that the 2010 REVIEW page is now online! You can check it out by clicking on its name in the pages header above, or simply by clicking here.

Hope you enjoy it! Don't hesitate to give us some feedback!
Best wishes for the end of 2010 and for the new year, which is going to be very exciting for all tennis fans!

PS: A brand new site layout will be launched on Jan. 1 so make sure to check this place!

10 Dec 2010

KIM WINS DIAMOND GAMES EXHIBITION!

Dec. 10 • It was a nice tennis evening for all the fans in the Sportpaleis of Antwerp yesterday! Indeed, at the GDF SUEZ Diamond Games in Antwerp, Kim defeated Justine Henin after an exciting three sets, 6-1 3-6 10-5.

At first the match between Kim and Justine did not promise such a thrilling ending. In the first set Kim outplayed Justine completely. It was Justine's first match after months of recovering from an injury. Kim only needed 25 minutes to get hold of the first set, 6-1.


In the second set as well Kim immediately took a break, but then had to slow things down somewhat. Henin started playing better and rebroke. At 3-4, she broke Kim's service again: with her world famous backhand she opened the field and finished it off with a forehand. After exactly one hour Justine leveled up the match, 6-1 3-6.


The third set was a short but powerful super tiebreak. Kim treated the fans with a 'tweener', but the ball from between her legs went out. Still, her fans didn't have to feel sad, as Kim managed to get four match points at 9-5, and finished it off on her first opportunity after 1 hour and 11 minutes.


"Justine is a class act", Kim praised her opponent afterwards.
"I enjoy watching her play, but not when she is in front of me", she joked. "This match was very intense", Justine said. "I could feel the adrenaline flow through my entire body. Things did not go as I wanted, but it was a delight to be playing here. An awesome audience!"

7 Dec 2010

NEWS UPDATE • MORE AWARDS FOR KIM + DIAMOND GAMES INFO

Dec. 7 • Besides winning the WTA Player of the Year Award a week ago, Kim has also won quite a few awards/trophies in the past weeks. Indeed, she has been awarded 2 Flemish awards, making her rather indisputably the best Flemish athlete of the year.

First of all, at the end of November Kim was awarded the Tennis Performance of the Year award by the VTV, the Flemish (Dutch-speaking Belgium) Tennis Federation. Other nominees were Yanina Wickmayer and the Belgium Davis Cup team.

On 3 December Kim also won the so-called 'Flemish Giant', an award given by Flemish sports journalists, crowning the best Flemish athlete of the year.

And it may be just the beginning! Indeed, on 19 December will take place what probably is the most important Belgian sport ceremony of the year, the Sportgala, crowning a.o. the best Belgian sportsman and sportswoman of the year. Kim is in with a chance to win the award, together with sportswomen such as Justine Henin, Yanina Wickmayer, Svetlana Bolshakova or Tia Hellebaut.


Finally, just a few words to remind you that the 2010 edition of the Diamond Games will take place in no more than 2 days! On Thursday night, Kim and Justine will play their exhibition match in Antwerp, in front of a most probably packed crowd, so one can expect some nice action going down there! 
If you live in Belgium and want to grab some last-minute tickets, head over to the official website. If you're based abroad, the matches (F. Schiavone & Y. Wickmayer will play first) will be broadcast on Club RTL (French) from 8pm and Sporza (Dutch) around 9.30pm, Belgian time!

1 Dec 2010

KIM = WTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR!


Dec. 1 • The WTA announced Wednesday the winners of the 2010 WTA Player Awards. Ten players were honored by fans and the media for their outstanding achievements both on and off the court during 2010.

Kim Clijsters was voted Player of the Year for the second time in her career, having first earned the accolade in 2005. The Belgian, 27, had a terrific 2010 season, highlighted by winning her third US Open. Additionally, Clijsters won four other titles, at Brisbane, Miami, Cincinnati and the WTA Championships. For her off-court achievements, she was also given the Player Service award, which recognizes the player who has done the most to support her fellow players through the WTA Players' Council or other initiatives.

"It's really nice to win the Player of the Year award just one year after making a comeback and while I didn't think it would come so quickly, I am thrilled with the news", Kim commented. "To be honored by your fellow players with the Player Service award means so much to me because I believe the social contact with the rest of the players is very important. This year I met a lot of new girls and it was very nice that so many of them had positive reactions to my daughter Jada as well. I want to thank my fellow players and the media who voted for me and I look forward to seeing everyone again in Australia."

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta earned Doubles Team of the Year. While the competition in doubles was fierce in 2010, Dulko and Pennetta, who were the No.1-ranked team in the world at year-end, won seven titles, including the WTA Championships - Doha 2010. Earlier in the season, they compiled a 17-match win streak - the longest on the WTA in over three years - which garnered three consecutive Premier-level titles at Miami, Stuttgart and Rome, and ended in the Madrid final (where they lost to the Williams sisters). They also won titles in Bastad, Montréal and Moscow in the second half of the year.

Petra Kvitova won Newcomer of the Year after a season that included a run to her first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon (beating Victoria Azarenka andCaroline Wozniacki along the way). She had never won a match on grass before. After her success at Wimbledon, Kvitova broke into the world's Top 30.

Comeback Player of the Year went to Justine Henin, who made a stellar return to the WTA in January. At her first tournament back in Brisbane she reached the final, falling to Clijsters in the third set tie-break after holding match points. She also reached the final of the Australian Open, her first major since 2008, and won titles at Stuttgart (on clay) and 's-Hertogenbosch (on grass).

Elena Dementieva, who retired from the WTA in October, was honored with the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, which acknowledges a player's conduct, attitude and sense of fair play. It was her second time receiving it.

The Humanitarian of the Year award went to Maria Sharapova for her role as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. In 2010, Maria visited Chernobyl and spent time with kids affected by the disaster while pledging $250,000 to the United Nations Development Program. Additionally, Sharapova won several fan awards including Favorite Singles Player and the Most Fashionable Player.

WTA players voted on their favorite tournaments and chose Stuttgart as their favorite Premier event and Pattaya City as their favorite International event.


The winners of the annual player awards for Player of the Year, Doubles Team of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year are determined by the global tennis media, with WTA players themselves selecting Tournaments of the Year, Sportsmanship and Player Service award.
(from wtatour.com)

21 Nov 2010

KIM AND BRIAN VISIT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Nov. 21 • On the occasion of the Universal Day of Children (Nov. 20), Kim and Brian payed the European Parliament a visit on the 19th. A SOS Children's Villages Ambassador, Kim called for EU decision-makers to strengthen families and end child poverty. Kim and Brian came with a present: a painting picturing Kim, Brian and Jada, and made up of more than 2,000 smaller family portraits sent by Ketnet (one of Kim's sponsors) viewers and SOS Children's Villages.


"Children not growing up in a family face a heightened risk of emotional insecurity, educational failure, abuse and violence", Kim pointed out. "These are the harsh facts. Not only in third world countries, but also here in Europe. That’s why you’re here, at the very heart of the European Institutions, debating. That’s why we’re here, supporting your debate. It should be a basic right for every child to grow up in the warmth of a family." 

The European Union was represented by Véronique de Keyser, Member of the European Parliament, and Philippe Courard, Belgian Secretary of State for Social Integration and Combating Poverty (Belgium holds the EU Presidency until the end of 2010).

Here is the official SOS Children's Villages website, check it out for more information on the project!

31 Oct 2010

KIM CONQUERS 3RD CHAMPIONSHIPS!


Oct. 31Kim started strongly, lost her way a little and finished fast in the final of the WTA Championships - Doha 2010, scoring a 6-3 5-7 6-3 win over No.1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki for her 3rd career title at the prestigious season-ending tournament.

Coming into this year's event, Kim was the only player in the field who had a winning record at the WTA Championships in previous years (she had been 15-6 here, with none of the other seven players better than even). She was also on a roll in big matches, winning all five of her finals since coming out of retirement last summer.


All of that may have played into a very fast start for Clijsters, who burst out to a 6-3 4-1 lead; Wozniacki, who had won more matches than anyone this year, did not surrender - in fact she picked up her level in a big way, upping the aggression and winning seven of the next eight games to win the second set and break for 1-0 in the first game of the third. The match would turn once more, however.
Kim broke right back in the second game of the third set and was again the frontrunner from there, firing an inside out forehand winner to break again for 4-2, holding easily for 5-2 then holding easily again two games later to complete the three set victory.

"At the moment I'm kind of relieved it's over. It seemed like it would never end", Kim said. "It was a tough battle. I think we showed the crowd some great women's tennis tonight. This was my first time in the Middle East and it was an amazing experience."


Having also won this event in 2002 and 2003, Kim is the fifth player in WTA history to win here three or more times.

"This may be disappointing for Caroline, but she has a great future", Kim added. "I also have to congratulate her on making it to the No.1 ranking."

"This has been a fantastic week for me", Wozniacki said.
"I had a great week. Kim just played amazing today and she really deserved to win."

Kim won her 5th WTA title of the year, following triumphs in Brisbane, Miami, Cincinnati and the US Open, and her 40th career title.



(adapted from wtatour.com)

30 Oct 2010

WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS • KIM REACHES FINAL!


Oct. 30 • Kim has reached the final of the WTA Championships in Doha after defeating Samantha Stosur in straight sets.

Stosur started quickly, breaking Kim in the second game and building a 3-0 lead; Kim broke back, however, and after saving a set point at 4-5 with a backhand down (and hitting) the line, she always seemed to be in control, cruising through a tie-break to end the 61-minute first set and blowing through the second set in 25 minutes to improve to 5-0 in her head-to-head series against Stosur with a 7-6(3) 6-1 victory.

Tomorrow in the final Kim will face world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, a match that is scheduled at 6pm, local time!



WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS • KIM LOSES LAST GROUP MATCH, SEMIS TODAY!


Oct. 30 • Although she had already qualified for the semifinals on Thurdsay, Kim still had a round robin match to play, against Vera Zvonareva to decide who would be the only undefeated player at this stage of the competition. Despite leading with a break in both sets, Kim had to surrender and lost to the Russian in straight sets: 4-6 5-7.


But Kim will already be back in action today, as she faces Samantha Stosur for a place in the final! The match is scheduled around 5.30pm, local time!

29 Oct 2010

WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS • KIM REACHES SEMIS!



Oct. 28 • Kim has overcome the challenge of Victoria Azarenka (6-4 5-7 6-1) in their group stage match of the WTA Championships in Doha to secure her place in the semifinals of the season-ending event. 

Kim was quite in control in the first set, grabbing a decisive break in the 10th game to take the first set 6-4. 
After losing an incredibly competitive 65-minute second set it was all Kim in the third set, as she needed just 26 minutes to beat Azarenka, her ninth win in a row on the WTA (she went 7-0 to win the US Open and also won her first round robin match here).

Kim is now 2-0 in her group, as is Zvonareva; the two will meet on Friday, with the winner to finish No.1 in their group and the other to finish No.2. The match will take place around 7pm, local time.