Several nations have experienced long term success in womens tennis. The United States, Spain, Germany, France and others have long been accustomed to Grand Slam champions and legends. Now other nations, with young players, are quickly rising to the upper echalons of the womens game. Russia, Zimbabwe, Australia are just a few of these nations. Not to be forgotten in the interest and attention of womens tennis is Belgium, with it's star making her big break, Kim Clijsters.
Kim certainly made a name of herself in 1999 having one of the greatest rookie years in WTA history. She reached the finals of an ITF event, then, after qualifying for the Antwerp event, she reached the quarterfinals. She then qualified for Wimbledon where she took out the number twelve seed, Amanda Coetzer, before losing to Steffi Graf. In her last event of the summer, Kim reached the third round at the U.S. Open where she almost defeated the eventual champion, Serena Williams, in the most exciting match in the early rounds.
Kim took her momenteum into her next event, the Seat Open. She quickly qualified for the tournament and dropped only one set en route to her first career title where she defeated Anke Huber and Dominique Van Roost. Continuing her success, Kim easily reached her second consecutive final where she again defeated two seeded players, before losing to Amelie Mauresmo of France.
Kim certainly made a lasting impression on the WTA Tour, going from a virtual unknown to a rising star. The hard work Kim invested in her game certainly paid off. However Kim isn't content to just reside in the top 40 for the remainder of her career. Kim's tennis aspirations go all the way to the top of the rankings and she will work as hard as needed to get there, and even harder to stay there.
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