By Nick Georgandis
TennisNow.com
© Mark Peterson/Corleve

Seven-and-half years after she first reached the No. 1 ranking the world, Belgium's Kim Clijsters made her triumphant return to the top spot in the world Saturday night, defeating China's Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3to take the championship match of the Australian Open.

It's Clijsters' second straight Grand Slam title and fourth overall. She won the US Open in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

Na led 6-3, 3-2, but Clijsters finally held after being broken four straight times to tie the second set at 3-3. Clijsters won the next six games in a row, to take the second set and jump out to a 2-0 lead in the third.

She skunked Na in the final game, serving four straight points with authority. Na sent the last shot sailing out of bounds as Clijsters lifted her hands to the sky in triumph.

Na, seeking to become the first Asian player, male or female, to ever win a Grand Slam, flashed a brief smile after an exchange and kiss on the cheek with Clijsters at center court. In the first final in 30 years between two married women,

Clijsters never lost her cool, something Na was plagued by in the third set as she twice complained about crowd noise and once about flashes from photographers' cameras in the press area. In all, Clijsters won 98 points to Na's 84, and committed 14 fewer unforced errors.

Since returning to the WTA Tour in 2009, Clijsters is 27-2 in the majors, entering five of them and winning three.

It was Na's first loss of 2011. She beat Clijsters in the final at Auckland two weeks ago. Na received a large ovation and responded with a brilliant smile when she received her runner-up trophy after the match.

She congratulated Clijsters on her win and wished her luck for the rest of the season. She also pointed out her husband in the crowd and told him, "It doesn't matter if you are fat or skinny or ugly, I'll always follow you," drawing a considerable laugh from the crowd.

Clijsters, who won the love of this continent a decade ago when she was briefly engaged to Lleyton Hewitt, received a commanding ovation. from the crowd, then was a bit shy as she took to the microphone.

She acknowledged her battles with Na, then thanked a Melbourne dentist, who had fixed a tooth she chipped at the airport the Saturday before the tournament started, instantly making him the most popular dentist in the city.

Clijsters went on to thank her uncle, who she lauded for wearing "the ugliest green pants I've ever seen," to her win in Doha in 2010. Naturally, uncle Clijsters had the pants on again Saturday night.

She concluded by telling the crowd that they could finally call her "Aussie Kim" because she had at last brought home the crown after reaching the semifinals four times and the final once between 2002 and 2007.

The end results of the Open mean that every spot in the Top 10 except one will be occupied by a new player come Monday.

Based on points won and lost last week, here is our tentative Top 10 for the WTA Tour as of 1/31/2011 - 1. Kim Clijsters; 2. Caroline Wozniacki; 3. Vera Zvonareva; 4. Francesca Schiavone; 5. Samantha Stosur; 6. Li Na; 7. Venus Williams; 8. Jelena Jankovic; 9. Elena Dementieva; 10. Shahar Peer.


For images of Women's Final and Doubles Final- Click here.