Feb. 11: Kim Clijsters became the first mother to be crowned world number one on Friday when she battled back from 3-0 down to defeat Australia’s Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-0 in the Paris Open quarterfinals.
The 27-year-old reigning US and Australian Open champion has now reached the top spot for the fourth time in her career. The Belgian first hit the heights in 2003, when she was number one for 12 weeks over two separate spells, and then again in 2006, spending seven weeks at the head of the rankings.
Clijsters, who was also US Open champion in 2005 and 2009, will officially knock Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, who has yet to win a Grand Slam title, from the number one slot when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday.
“It’s incredible to have been successful so quickly after my comeback,” said Clijsters, who had retired in 2007 to start a family before returning to the tour in 2009 after giving birth to daughter Jada. “I have been playing really well for some months now. I am happy to regain the number one here in Paris as I feel like it’s close to home in Belgium — the last time, it was in Los Angeles. I’m proud that I have achieved this in my second career and as a mother. I hope that I can now go on and win the tournament,” she said.
Clijsters has enjoyed a memorable last six months, winning all three of the last major tournaments, the US Open, Masters and Australian Open. She also led Belgium to victory over the United States in the opening round of the Fed Cup World Group last weekend before arriving in Paris where she was champion on her last and only previous visit in 2004.
On Friday, she lost the opening three games against qualifier Dokic before reeling off the next 12. Clijsters will face Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, who defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, in Saturday’s semifinals.
Meanwhile, in the other semifinals on Saturday, Petra Kvitova coasted to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.