Congratulations to Kim Clijsters and Juan Martin Del Potro

I would have loved to see the entire match between Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro. The portion I did get a chance to see was the first set and most of the second set. And at least in those first two sets, the match did look like it was going to be a routine win for Federer: Federer, surprisingly, was basically neutralizing Del Potro’s incredible windspand, hitting sharp angles and coming to net whenever the opportunity arose. Anyone who has seen Del Potro play, however, knows he is not only a gifted athlete but a superbly talented tennis player also. It was only a matter of time for Del Potro to shake off the gitters of being in his first Grand Slam final and find his groove, and it looks like that moment came when Del Potro managed to win the second set – that likely signaled to him that he had a genuine shot at winning. I hope ESPN Classic replays the final so I could see how the drama unfolded. At any rate, congratulations to both Kim Clijsters and Juan Martin Del Potro, two very deserving champions. Here are a few images from the Times.



Unranked Kim Clijsters completed her comeback to tennis by capturing the women's singles title, dispatching 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, 7-5, 6-3. On Monday she was ranked 19th.

Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times




Clijsters with her daughter, Jada. A 26-year-old wild-card entry from Belgium, Clijsters was a former No. 1 player. She left the game two years ago to start a family, and has played in only three tournaments since her return this year.

Photo: Josh Haner/The New York Times



Juan Martín del Potro is a powerful, 6-foot-6 player with a huge serve whose game is well-suited to the speedy hard court of Ashe Stadium, and he stunned Nadal on Sunday, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Photo: Uli Seit for The New York Times

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company