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9/30/2001
Clijsters Routs Maleeva to Capture Sparkassen Cup Title
LEIPZIG, GERMANY (TICKER) -- Kim Clijsters hammered
Magdalena Maleeva, 6-1, 6-1, in just 49 minutes on
Sunday to successfully defend her title at the $565,000
Sparkassen Cup.
Clijsters, the top seed, took home the $90,000 top prize
in winning her second title of the year. The Belgian also
captured the Bank of the West Classic crown at Stanford,
California in July.
The 18-year-old Clijsters, who will remain at No. 5 in
the WTA rankings, has won five tour events, but
successfully defended one of her titles for the first time.
"Maggie is a very aggressive player, so my plan today
was to try and hit harder than her," Clijsters said. "I
hardly made any mistakes, so I'm very happy with the
way I played."
On her ascent to fifth place in the WTA rankings,
Clijsters also advanced to the finals at the Tennis
Masters Series at Indian Wells, the French Open and the
Heineken Trophy at 's-hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
The sixth-seeded Maleeva, 26, also reached the Leipzig
final in 1995, when she fell to local favorite Anke Huber.
The Bulgarian also advanced to the quarterfinals here on
four occasions.
"I think (Clijsters) played nearly a perfect match,"
Maleeva said. "She was running very well. I felt like she
would get every ball I hit. I tried to push more and more,
but it only made things worse."
Maleeva failed to win her ninth career tour crown.
In
April, she captured the Budapest Open claycourt title.
She also reached the championship match of the Terazura
2001 indoor event at Nice, France, where she was
crushed by Amelie Mauresmo.
Clijsters Captures Sparkassen Cup for Second Straight Year
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) -- Kim
Clijsters routed Magdalena Maleeva of
Bulgaria 6-1, 6-1 Sunday to win the
Sparkassen Cup for the second straight
year.
This was the second title of the year for the top-seeded
Belgian and the fifth of her career.
"Magdalena played a very good semifinal and I knew I
had to play hard from the start," she said.
Clijsters dominated her sixth-seeded opponent from the
outset despite a nerve injury in her right arm. She has
risen to a No. 5 ranking after reaching the French Open
final.
She earned $90,000 from a tournament purse of
$565,000.
Maleeva made the Leipzig final for the second time. In
1995, she was unable to play because of a stomach
illness and Anke Huber won the title.
In Saturday's semifinals, Maleeva upset second-seeded
Nathalie Tauziat, and Clijsters downed Elena
Dementieva.
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Clijsters Routs Maleeva to Capture Sparkassen Cup TitleClijsters, the top seed, took home the $90,000 top prize in winning her second title of the year. The Belgian also captured the Bank of the West Classic crown at Stanford, California in July. The 18-year-old Clijsters, who will remain at No. 5 in the WTA rankings, has won five tour events, but successfully defended one of her titles for the first time. "Maggie is a very aggressive player, so my plan today was to try and hit harder than her," Clijsters said. "I hardly made any mistakes, so I'm very happy with the way I played." On her ascent to fifth place in the WTA rankings, Clijsters also advanced to the finals at the Tennis Masters Series at Indian Wells, the French Open and the Heineken Trophy at 's-hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The sixth-seeded Maleeva, 26, also reached the Leipzig final in 1995, when she fell to local favorite Anke Huber. The Bulgarian also advanced to the quarterfinals here on four occasions. "I think (Clijsters) played nearly a perfect match," Maleeva said. "She was running very well. I felt like she would get every ball I hit. I tried to push more and more, but it only made things worse." Maleeva failed to win her ninth career tour crown. In
April, she captured the Budapest Open claycourt title.
She also reached the championship match of the Terazura
2001 indoor event at Nice, France, where she was
crushed by Amelie Mauresmo.
Clijsters Captures Sparkassen Cup for Second Straight YearLEIPZIG, Germany (AP) -- Kim Clijsters routed Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria 6-1, 6-1 Sunday to win the Sparkassen Cup for the second straight year. This was the second title of the year for the top-seeded Belgian and the fifth of her career. "Magdalena played a very good semifinal and I knew I had to play hard from the start," she said. Clijsters dominated her sixth-seeded opponent from the outset despite a nerve injury in her right arm. She has risen to a No. 5 ranking after reaching the French Open final. She earned $90,000 from a tournament purse of $565,000. Maleeva made the Leipzig final for the second time. In 1995, she was unable to play because of a stomach illness and Anke Huber won the title. In Saturday's semifinals, Maleeva upset second-seeded Nathalie Tauziat, and Clijsters downed Elena Dementieva. |