Australian Open Betting 
/ Ben Caudell / 28 January 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Kim Clijsters has a very strong record in finals
"As much as I would sincerely like to see Na Li win her first major, Kim’s mental toughness and dominance on the women’s circuit is hard to match. "
Ni La has already made history by becoming the first Chinese woman to reach a Grand Slam final but her record-breaking exploits will end there as shefaces a player who makes the most of her finall appearances.
Na Li has come a long way since her impressive semi-final finish last year that marked the first time in Grand Slam history that two Chinese women reached the singles semi-finals. Fast forward 12 months, and Li is breaking new records again, having made it through to the Australian Open 2011 final for the first time where she faces the reigning US Open Champion, Kim Clijsters.
The Belgian currently ranked three in the world has a 4-2 head-to-head series lead over Saturday's opponent, however their most recent match was won by Li in the final at the Sydney WTA Premier event three weeks ago (7-6 6-3).The finalists have contested two Grand Slam matches against each other, with Clijsters winning both in straight sets, 2009 US Open Quarter Final 6-2 6-4 and 2006 Wimbledon Quarter Final 6-4 7-5.
Li is yet to lose a match in 2011, recording prolific stats on her way to reaching the Aus Open final. The 28 year-old has won 11 matches in a row in Australia, 11 in a row on hard courts, and four of the last five when priced as a moderate underdog. Kim Clijsters also has decent stats and has been superb when it comes to playing in finals. The three time Grand Slam champion, who is vying for her first ever Australian Open title, is 8-2 in finals, whereas Na Li is 5-5 - she has won 13 in a row at Slam level and 17-2 in Australia since the start of 2010.
Both finalists are loved by the Australian public however it is Clijsters who is cherished that little bit more because of her links with Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt. In the absence of defending champion Serena Williams, the Belgian's road to the finals became that little bit easier than in previous years. The 2003 Open finalist simply outplayed her semi-final opponent and number two seed Vera Zvonareva, dispatching of the Russian in two comfortable sets 6-3 6-3. She is yet to drop a set all tournament.
As much as I would sincerely like to see Na Li win her first major, Kim's mental toughness and dominance on the women's circuit is hard to match. The Belgian just about confirmed that this will be her last full season on the tour and the assumption is that's because she wants to have another kid or just be a full-time mother for a while. Either way, if that's confirmed (her second retirement), this will be her last Australian Open tournament and she will therefore want to go out in blaze of glory in front of her adopted home crowd.
Since 2006 only two Grand Slam Finals have been contested in three sets and I think this one will continue the trend: Clijsters will claim her fourth Grand Slam title in two tight sets.
Recommended Bets:
Back Kim Clijsters @ [1.34] to win match
Back Clijsters 2-0 @ [1.9]
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