Happy Clijsters signs off with no regrets

Women 2nd round results Wednesday Sharapova bt Domínguez 6-0, 6-1Stosur bt Gallovits-Hall 6-3, 6-0Šafárová bt Wozniak 6-3, 4-6, 6-2Petrova bt Halep 6-1, 6-1Li bt Dellacqua 6-4, 6-4Azarenka bt Flipkens 6-2, 6-2Kvitová bt Cornet 6-4, 6-3Parmentier bt Wickmayer 7-6, 6-3Bartoli bt Oprandi 6-2, 1-6, 7-5Men’s second round results Murray bt Dodig 6-2, 6-1, 6-3Isner bt Malisse 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6Gasquet bt Montañés 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3Gulbis bt Haas 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3Muller bt Youzhny 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6Hewitt bt Kamke 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4Ferrer bt Anderson 6-4, 6-2, 7-6Del Potro bt Serra 6-4, 7-6, 6-4Robredo bt Seppi 6-1, 7-5, 6-3NEW YORK - Disappointed but content, Kim Clijsters signed off her singles career with a second-round defeat at the U.S. Open on Wednesday, beaten but unbowed and with the praise of her peers ringing in her ears.Losing 7-6 7-6 to British teenager Laura Robson was not the way she would have wanted to go out but at 29, after two careers and four grand slam titles, the Belgian said she was leaving with no regrets.“I think in the first hour after the match there was still disappointment and a little bit of frustration,” the three-time champion said. “But after talking and thinking about the retirement, I’m happy.“In the last year and a half or even two years, it’s been kind of up and down and I’m happy that I stuck through it and was able to live a lot of these emotions that I’ve had. I’m kind of proud of myself that I was able to do that.”In her moment of glory, Robson led the praise for a player who is undoubtedly the most popular in the locker room, calling her a role model to young players, while Maria Sharapova and Sam Stosur were quick to add their feelings.“I can’t say enough nice things about her,” Sharapova said. “She was a tremendous athlete, a really good competitor.“(But) the nicest thing you saw about her was her commitment to the sport but also wanting to have a great family life, retiring from the sport to have that and then coming back and achieving things in winning the U.S. Opens that she did and the Australian Open.”Defending champion Stosur said “the whole tour” was going to miss having Clijsters around.“She’s been a great player and a great person. She’s definitely one of those people that you can look up to and really admire with what she’s been able to achieve.”Clijsters singled out being world number one, winning four grand slam titles and her WTA Championships as her best achievements, as well as becoming the first mother to win a grand slam title since 1980.In her “first” career before entering a two-year retirement in 2007, Clijsters was seen as something of a nearly-girl, losing her first four grand slam finals.But her win in New York in 2005 changed everything and when she returned in 2009 having had her daughter, she was even better, winning two more U.S. Opens and an Australian Open crown.

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Happy Clijsters signs off with no regrets