Clijsters clinches first grand slam crown

For all Kim Clijsters (picture) cared, they could have ripped the cheques up right in front of her.

The Belgian had eyes for only one thing after beating France's Mary Pierce 6-3 6-1 in the US Open final on Saturday - her first, gleaming grand slam trophy.

At the fifth time of asking Clijsters finally shed herself of the tag of being the best player not to have won a grand slam, in the process earning herself $2.2 million, the largest winner's prize in the history of women's sport.

"It's an amazing feeling to have, I find it very hard to believe," she gulped under the twinkling lights on Arthur Ashe Court, her face pink with the exertion of victory despite the scant resistance put up by her opponent.

"I just proved to myself that I can do it and that I'm up there with the best of them."

The likeable 22-year-old fourth seed claimed victory with a heavy serve on her second match point and promptly dropped her racket as if in shock.

Then she sprinted across court to embark on a precarious climb up the courtside seating rails to the box where her mother Els and her other supporters stood shiny-eyed and cheering.

Clijsters' win was a glorious vindication of her positive attitude despite having lost in four grand slam finals and having missed most of 2004 with a chronic wrist problem that at one stage threatened to end her career.

The former world number one received her $1.1 million winner's cheque and a bonus totalling the same amount for having topped the pre-slam US Open Series rankings.

Pierce was never in the match from the moment she lost serve in the opening game of the first set.

She was, however, dignified in defeat, in contrast to her 6-1 6-1 humiliation by another Belgian, Justine Henin-Hardenne, in June's French Open final, which she finished an apologetic, emotional wreck.

"Kim, congratulations, I'm so happy for you," said the 30-year-old, France's first US Open finalist. "You're such a sweet girl. You really deserved to win."

The careers of Pierce and Clijsters have plenty in common. Both enjoyed great success early on before being badly disrupted by injuries.

In other ways, however, they could hardly be more different.

Clijsters radiates a natural urgency, bustling around the court with a bright-eyed relish for her work.

Pierce can give the impression she is playing through treacle, an infuriating mix of heaving sighs, pregnant pauses and nervous ticks.

Despite her reputation for mental frailty, Pierce won the Australian Open in 1995 and the French Open in 2000, reaching a high of number three in the rankings before being hobbled by ankle and back trouble in 2001.

This year, though, she reached the Roland Garros final again and the last eight at Wimbledon to signal a resurgence that will bring her back into the top 10 this week.

Legs akimbo

Clijsters attained the number one ranking in 2003 but showed a flaw in her mental make-up by losing in the finals of the French Open in 2001 and 2003, the US Open in 2003 and the Australian Open in 2004.

Her wrist injury which required surgery ruined 2004 for Clijsters but she returned with aplomb this year, winning six titles coming into New York, despite some ankle problems.

The latter issue has not prevented the Belgian sliding claycourt-style, legs akimbo on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts and she was immediately into her considerable stride on Saturday.

Her immediate break of serve soon became a 3-1 lead and Pierce, moving as if in slow motion most of the time with her right thigh heavily strapped, looked half asleep.

"C'mon Mary, wake up!" screamed one male spectator when the Canada-born Frenchwoman lost her serve to trail 4-1.

Pierce recovered briefly to 4-3 but the errors continued to flow and Clijsters took the first set when another Pierce backhand flew long.

At that point she risked incurring the wrath of a generally patient US crowd by calling the trainer on court, as she had done so controversially after losing the first set of her semi-final against Russian Elena Dementieva.

It appeared the 12th seed needed to adjust the strapping on her thigh but, almost farcically, she suddenly ran off to the dressing-room.

Pierce returned, still running, just in time to resume after the change-over. Looking flustered, though, she initially made for the wrong end of the court before realising her mistake.

Against Dementieva she followed a 12-minute medical time out by turning the match on its head, to the intense irritation of the Russian. Clijsters was determined there would be no repeat.

The Belgian briskly won the next three games for the loss of only one point and the final was over as a contest.

She briefly faltered in the final game, falling 30-40 down but Pierce could not capitalise.

The beaten Frenchwoman refused to be downbeat.

"There's always a reason for everything. I firmly believe in that, and it's always for the best."