Clijsters upsets Venus, faces Zvonareva in final

NEW YORK --- No foot-fault calls, no controversy. Instead, a comeback for Kim Clijsters and another victory over a Williams sister in the U.S. Open semifinals.

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Associated Press

Kim Clijsters extended her winning streak at Flushing Meadows to 20 matches by defeating Venus Williams in the U.S. Open semifinals.

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Associated Press

Vera Zvonareva raises her racket after beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 during the semifinals at the U.S. Open.

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Defending champion Clijsters extended her winning streak at Flushing Meadows to 20 matches and returned to the final by erasing an early deficit to beat Venus Williams 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 Friday.

"I just wish I could have played the bigger points a little better," Williams said.

Williams is 52-2 after taking the first set at the U.S. Open -- and both of those losses came against Clijsters, who will face No. 7-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia in tonight's final. If Clijsters wins, she will be the first woman with two consecutive U.S. Open titles since Williams in 2000-01.

"I never expected I'd come back in this position," said the No. 2-seeded Clijsters, also the 2005 U.S. Open champion. "I was trying to do it. It wasn't easy, but I stuck with it."

The 30-year-old Williams, trying to reach her first U.S. Open final since 2002, hurt herself with seven double-faults, including two in the second-set tiebreaker and one to set up a break point for Clijsters in the match's next-to-last game. Clijsters broke to go ahead 5-4 in the third set with a perfect lob that curled over the 6-foot-1 Williams and landed right at the baseline.

Earlier Friday, Zvonareva reached her second Grand Slam final in a row by upsetting top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-4, 6-3.

Zvonareva was steadier than Wozniacki, who averaged 11 unforced errors through her first five matches of the tournament -- and made 31 against Zvonareva.

Zvonareva knocked Wozniacki off rhythm with powerful serves and assertive play, as the wind again made for difficult play at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

A year ago in New York, Clijsters -- playing in only the third tournament of her return after more than two seasons away from the tour -- beat Wozniacki in the final, after getting past Williams' younger sister Serena in the semifinals. The latter forever will be remembered for Serena's racket-shaking, expletive-laden outburst at the lineswoman who made a late foot-fault ruling.