Kim Clijsters Wins Aussie Open

Kim Clijsters finally won her first Australian Open and the fourth major of her career, wiping tears from her eyes after she beat Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 today. The loss ended an outstanding tournament run by Li, who became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Li appeared to become upset with Chinese spectators in the crowd in the third set and asked the chair umpire to intervene. She later complained about the flashes from photographers at center court.

However, Clijsters kept her composure all night. The win for the reigning US Open champion came in what could be her last appearance at Melbourne Park—she had said 2011 might be her last full year on the tour, but appeared to backtrack after the match. She may go with a restricted schedule for 2012, when she wants to compete in the London Olympics. "Yes, I hope so," she said when asked if she would be back to defend her title next year. Looking at Li, Clijsters said: "I think we'll have a lot more tough battles to come. Hopefully, a few more Grand Slam finals would be nice." (More Australian Open stories.)