Clijsters Continues Amazing Comeback with WTA Miami Title

Unseeded Kim Clijsters defeated world No. 3 Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday in the final at the WTA stop in Miami for her second consecutive title after Indian Wells, securing her status as a major threat for the year-end No. 1 ranking. Clijsters' quick comeback follows a lengthy layoff due to wrist surgery where her future in the game was in doubt.

Clijsters, who employed topspin as well as slice, short angles and a deft touch at the net, adjusted to the wind better than Sharapova who struggled to muscle through the blustery conditions, her only option with a baseline arsenal limited mainly to topspin off the forehand and backhand sides.

"I think what I did really well today was be patient," Clijsters said. "Because in these conditions, it's very hard to play your own tennis and to play aggressively because, you know, like I said, with the wind, it's very hard. And on each side of the court you sort of have to produce different tactics, I guess, and you have to adjust your game a little bit. I think I did that really well today. I think I adjusted pretty good to the conditions and then I think I was maybe a little more patient today than she was."

Clijsters became the first unseeded player to win the title in the tournament's 21-year history, and only the second player to win the Indian Wells-Miami double in the same year after Steffi Graf.

The Belgian became emotional after the win, with her career in doubt after the complicated wrist surgery.

"It was -- again, even this one is even harder to believe, I think, this victory," Clijsters said. "Yeah, I don't know what to say about all this. It's been an incredible four weeks. I'm just going to try to enjoy it as much as I can."

Sharapova found the wind to be her downfall with little to fall back on stroke-wise. The Russian broke back with Clijsters serving at 5-3 in the second set, but could not match the consistency of the Belgian.

"It was swirling. It was not -- it was going in one direction but, you know, the ball moved, you know," Sharapova said. "It wasn't just going one way. When it was a slow ball, you'd see the ball move. You'd have to adjust really, really quick with your feet."

The one with the really quick feet was Clijsters, leaving Sharapova dumbfounded.

"The biggest surprise is it was her 14th straight match, and I didn't feel like she was physically fatigued," Sharapova said. "I'm not at the point where I can do that. She can play all day out there."

In the men's doubles final Saturday, No. 3 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi crushed No. 2-seeded Zimbabweans Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett 6-1, 6-2.

"I guess it's a confirmation, a reassurance of us being somewhat a prominent team," said "The Beast" Mirnyi of their first title in their first full year as a team. "It's good to be playing well and have good expectations, but it's the other thing of winning a major title like this one. So we've known each other for such a long time, but it's finally good to win one together."

Black-Ullyett remain at No. 1 in the ATP Team Rankings.