Clijsters wins US Open

Kim Clijsters sealed her first grand slam title since making her comeback to tennis at the US Open on Sunday, defeating Carlone Wozniacki of Denmark 7-5, 6-3.

The Belgian looked to have a fight on her hand in the first set, with Wozniacki pushing hard as the set ran to 12 games, but eased into her rhythm in the second set and ultimately sealed the win comfortably. In doing so she became the first women’s player ever to win a grand slam on a wildcard.

"This has been so exciting for me," Clijsters said after the match. "This was not really our plan. I just wanted to start three tournaments just to get back into the rhythm of playing tennis and get used to the surroundings. So I have to thank the USTA for giving me the wild card to come back here."

Remarkably, Clijsters secured her second US Open title only 14 matches into her career comeback. Clijsters had taken a 27 month leave of absence from the WTA Tour after giving birth to her daughter, and had only competed in 2 tournaments prior to the US Open.

"I don't have words for how I'm feeling - I'm just glad I got to come back to defend my title from 2005!" Clijsters told the crowd on center court after the match.

"It's been so exciting for me, I just wanted to get back to playing tennis. The support I've received has been crazy. Even from the first round, how warmly everyone welcomed and embraced me. It helped me keep fighting and stay focused."