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Belgium storm into Fed Cup final
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July 17, 2006 13:26 IST

Kim Clijsters [Images] powered Belgium into their second Fed Cup final on Sunday with a comfortable 6-0, 6-1 win over American teenager Vania King.

The Belgians now meet Italy [Images] in September's final.

Playing without French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best of five match semi-final to give them a first Fed Cup victory over the US in five attempts. The match ended 4-1.

Clijsters, the world number two and US Open champion, crushed her 17-year-old opponent, ranked 79th in the world, with a 55-minute exhibition of power tennis.

Clijsters, who had struggled to beat hard-hitting Jamea Jackson on Saturday, was in total command on the indoor hard court on Sunday.

"We had an ideal situation, leading 2-0 after day one, so it was down to me to finish it off. It went a lot better than yesterday," Clijsters told a rapturous 5,000-strong crowd before the Belgian team did a lap of honour, spraying champagne on court.

The US, without both the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport [Images], all injured, had expected to field Jill Craybas for the reverse singles, but captain Zina Garrison decided to give a match to all four team members after going two down on Saturday.

Kirsten Flipkens, local hero on day one after beating Craybas, claimed a fourth point for Belgium when opponent Mashona Washington pulled out with a strained knee. The American had been leading 6-2, 1-3.

But Craybas and King then teamed up to beat Caroline Maes and Leslie Butkiewicz 6-1, 6-2 and salvage a point for the US.

 



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