Kim Clijsters stepped up another level to dispatch Vera Zvonareva in the Australian Open semi-final.
Kim Clijsters stepped up another level to dispatch Vera Zvonareva in the Australian Open semi-final.
Kim Clijsters stepped up another level to dispatch Vera Zvonareva in the Australian Open semi-final.
Kim Clijsters stepped up another level to dispatch Vera Zvonareva in the Australian Open semi-final.

Kim Clijsters powers through to Australian Open final


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MELBOURNE // Kim Clijsters wasted little time in flattening Vera Zvonareva, the No 2 seed, 6-3, 6-3 with an awesome display of power tennis to reach her second Australian Open final on Thursday.

Clijsters, the Belgian No 3 see and the 2004 Australian Open runner-up, will face Li Na in Saturday's final after overpowering her Russian opponent in just 73 minutes.

"I lifted my level compared to my other matches," Clijsters said in a courtside interview. "I've played in a lot of big matches and you learn from them.

"I just keep fighting and try to be the last one standing."

Clijsters, lime green dress and visor shimmering in the sunshine, simply had too much power for Zvonareva's comfort, the three-times grand slam champion taking the first set with a fierce drive volley.

Zvonareva's big match temperament has been questioned in the past and her fragility showed on the key points, loose shots and fluffed volleys frequently letting her down.

The second set followed a similar pattern, Clijsters chasing Zvonareva all over Rod Laver Arena and the former world No 1 completed an easy victory with a delicate drop volley.

Clijsters, who also thrashed Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1 in last year's US Open final, will replace the Russian as the world No 2 with her seventh win in their 10 meetings.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

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Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.

It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.

The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media. 

PROFILE OF CURE.FIT

Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

Sector: Health & wellness

Size: 500 employees

Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)

Friday's schedule in Madrid

Men's quarter-finals

Novak Djokivic (1) v Marin Cilic (9) from 2pm UAE time

Roger Federer (4) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 7pm

Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Alexander Zverev (3) from 9.30pm

Stan Wawrinka v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11.30pm

Women's semi-finals

Belinda Bencic v Simona Halep (3) from 4.30pm

Sloane Stephens (8) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 10pm

Indian construction workers stranded in Ajman with unpaid dues