Kim Clijsters had a few lapses at this year's U.S. Open, and that turned out OK. Who's to say that's not the winning formula for Doha, too?
A day after comfortably beating Jelena Jankovic, Clijsters had to sweat against Victoria Azarenka—for two sets. She won the first, lost the second and was given the third: 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. The win assured Clijsters a spot in Saturday's semifinals alongside Sam Stosur, Vera Zvonareva and Caroline Wozniacki.
You know what to expect from Clijsters most of the time: strong defense, one of the sport's best backhands and a reliable serve. But sometimes it's another story. We saw it against Venus Williams in their U.S. Open semifinal, a match Clijsters won in three tough sets. Today we saw it with Azarenka serving for the second set at 5-6. Clijsters put up a good fight, taking the game to multiple deuces with a well-placed return here, a smart drop shot there and a fine forehand or eight. But on many of the crucial points, she locked up, hardly getting her racquet on a serve, and pushing a ball past an open court. Like the Venus match, Clijsters won today's in three. But it showed the reason why Clijsters has just three Grand Slam titles: unforseen bouts of inconsistency.
With the semifinals set, tomorrow's matches only serve to determine who plays who on Saturday. Clijsters will face either Wozniacki or Stosur, with Elena Dementieva and Francesca Schiavone eliminated from contention today. See, not everyone can overcome a lapse like Kim can.
—Ed McGrogan