Saturday, August 08, 2009

The Comeback Kim Clijsters Quiz

Could it be? Is it? Why, yes. It is! Kim Clijsters is back. And she finally has her own Backspin Quiz.



>>>THE QUESTIONS<<<

1. Clijsters announced her '07 retirement after losing a 1st Round match in Warsaw. Who beat her?

a. Arantxa Parra-Santonja
b. Angelique Kerber
c. Julia Vakulenko
d. Alla Kudryavtseva
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2. Clijsters made her WTA tour debut in Antwerp in 1999, reaching the QF after getting into the main draw as a "lucky loser." What else of note happened in that same tournament?

a. Justine Henin also made her WTA debut
b. Els Callens won the title, making her the only Belgian other than Clijsters or Henin to win a WTA title while Clijsters and Henin were active from 1999-08
c. Justine Henin won her first WTA singles title
d. Clijsters won the doubles title with Henin
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3. Clijsters has won two grand slam doubles titles. With whom did she share the crowns?

a. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1) & Daniela Hantuchova (1)
b. she won both with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
c. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1) & Ai Sugiyama (1)
d. she won both with Ai Sugiyama
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4. Clijsters has not played a U.S. Open match since she won the title in 2005. She retired before the '07 event, and was forced to withdraw before her '06 defense attempt due to a wrist injury she suffered in Montreal that August. Who was she playing in Montreal when she twice fell on her wrist and retired while leading the match?

a. Stephanie Dubois
b. Aleksandra Wozniak
c. Justine Henin
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5. What was Clijsters' record in grand slam singles finals before she won the U.S. Open title?

a. 0-3
b. 0-4
c. 0-5
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6. Clijsters was simultaneously ranked #1 in both singles and doubles for three weeks in 2003. She's one of five women to have done so. Name as many of them as you can.
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7. Where did Clijsters win her last WTA singles title before her mid-2007 retirement?

a. Antwerp '07
b. WTA Championship '06
c. Sydney '07
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8. What item did Clijsters famously provide as a gift to everyone in the crowd after one of her matches in Antwerp in 2006?

a. the same model tennis racket that she'd played with in the match
b. a bottle of champagne
c. an autographed photo and tennis ball
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9. Clijsters reached one junior slam singles final, losing the '98 Wimbledon Girls championship match. Who defeated her?

a. Katarina Srebotnik
b. Jelena Dokic
c. Justine Henin
d. Karolina Sprem
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10. When Clijsters retired in '07, she was #4 in the WTA singles rankings. Only two players in WTA history have retired while ranked higher. Who are they?

a. Justine Henin & Chris Evert
b. Justine Henin & Steffi Graf
c. Justine Henin & Martina Hingis (retirement #1)
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>>>THE ANSWERS (3 pts each unless noted)<<<

1. c. Vakulenko was the last player to defeat Clijsters in KC 1
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2. a & c. (3 pts. for either answer) Henin also made her debut in Antwerp, winning the title to become the fifth woman to claim a tour singles title in her WTA debut tournament
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3. d. Clijsters won both with Sugiyama (French Open and Wimbledon in '03)
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4. a. Dubois advanced in the QF match when Clijsters retired
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5. b. Clijsters was 0-4 before finally defeating Mary Pierce in the U.S. Open in 2005 (she lost three of the four finals to Henin, in the '03 RG & U.S. Open, as well as the '04 Australian)
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6. (3 pts. for each correct answer) Four other women have been the singles and doubles #1 at the same time: Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport
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7. c. Clijsters' last WTA singles title before her retirement during the '07 season came in Sydney that January, where she won a final in which she overcame a match point against Jelena Jankovic
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8. b. champagne
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9. a. Srebotnik won the '98 Wimbledon Girls final over Clijsters
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10. b. Graf was #3 when she retired in 1999, while Henin was #1 when she retired a season after Clijsters in '08.
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>>>THE SCORING<<<

33-39 -
Finally! - You're like Clijsters at the U.S. Open in 2005
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21-30 -
So Close! - Now you know how Clijsters felt when she lost the '01 Roland Garros final
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9-18 -
Not Quite Ready! - Maybe you can retire and try again in two years
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0-6 -
Burnt Waffle! - You're Clijsters, while this Backspin Quiz is Henin on the other side of the net in slam finals against her countrywoman
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All for now.