By Etienne Stekelenburg
February 20 2004

(Antwerp) Belgian Kim Clijsters defeats Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp in two sets 7-6 (2), 6-2. Clijsters is hoping to win the Diamond Racket, she said it is one of the best prices to win on the Tour; first she has to defeat Swiss Myriam Casanova on Saturday. The 28-year-old Magdalena Maleeva put on a good fight in the first set. She started with a break on Clijsters serve but the Belgian No. 2 had a re-break for 2 all. Service breaks were going on back and forth along the players ending up in 6 all for the tiebreak.

There was hardly any difference between both players until Clijsters forced three mini breaks. She was leading 5-2 when she served 6-2 and 7-2 for the first set.

In the second set Maleeva seemed burned out and could not find the answer to the aggressive game plan that Clijsters had drawn between the sets.

Clijsters was leading 4-0 and it looked like the set was going to end with a bagel. Somehow Maleeva squeezed in the points that mattered coming back to 4-1. She also managed to hold her next service game when Clijsters served for the match at 5-2. At 40-30 the 20-year-old No.2 of the world served an ace for the victory and a spot into the semifinal on Saturday at the Sport Palace in Antwerp.