Clijsters beats Kanepi to retain Hasselt Cup

HASSELT: World number six Kim Clijsters marked her return from a two-month injury layoff when she retained her Hasselt Cup title with a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory over Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi in Sunday's final.   

The Belgian top seed, playing in her first tournament since damaging her wrist, was pushed all the way by the world 91 but proved too strong. Kanepi was participating in her first WTA tour final.   

Clijsters, who now heads for the season-ending WTA Masters tournament in Madrid on Wednesday, broke Kanepi's serve in the fourth game before powering her way to the opening set.   

However, the match turned full circle in the second set as the Estonian surprisingly raced into a 4-1 lead as Clijsters seemed to lose her form. The Belgian hit back in the next game, but Kanepi dug deep and held her nerve to level the match.   

The final set could have swung either way, but a number of crucial forehand drop shots by Clijsters proved her opponent's downfall as she failed to convert at the net.   

The Belgian eventually delighted the home crowd by breaking the Estonian's serve in the 10th game and taking the deciding set.