"I'm just happy I didn't play Kim Clijsters 10 years ago" - Hsieh Su-wei after 1r win at Chicago
Kim Clijsters' hopes of scoring the first win of her comeback were extinguished once again on Monday. The Belgian fell short in a marathon tussle against Hsieh Su-wei in the first round of the 2021 Chicago Fall Tennis Classic.
The two seasoned campaigners played out an intense match that involved several high-quality rallies. Hsieh, however, proved too difficult for Clijsters to hit past consistently enough, which ended the former World No. 1's campaign.
Following the win, Hsieh heaped lavish praise on her opponent during her on-court interview. Describing Kim Clijsters a "great champion", the Taiwanese claimed she had been looking forward to the match ever since the draw was released.
Hsieh also said it was a very tough match for her to come through, before joking that she was happy she didn't have to face peak Clijsters - from 10 years ago.
"We all know that Kim is such a great great champion and off the court too," Hsieh said. "She's very polite and kind and I always liked her and was very excited to play this match today."
"I'm happy I didn't play her 10 years ago!" the Taiwanese joked.
Hsieh Su-wei added that she had seen Kim Clijsters hit the ball really hard in practice. The 35-year-old came into the match knowing that she would have to play well defensively and put a lot of balls back in the court.
"I saw her play yesterday, in practice and I was like 'Wow, she's hitting the ball really hard, I better put more balls into the court tomorrow and not let her destroy me with her power'," Hsieh said.
"It's really nice here and I am enjoying my time in Chicago" - Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei had staged another upset win in Chicago last month, taking out Venus Williams in the first round of a WTA 250 event. The Taiwanese was quick to show her appreciation for Chicago, saying that she had been on multiple tours of the city and was really enjoying her time here.
Hsieh also thanked the Taiwanese fans in the stands for having come out to show their support.
"It's really nice to be here," Hsieh said. "Chicago has had some great tournaments. I was here for one of the 250 tournament last month and had a great time. I went to the mall and shopping and really enjoyed my time here."
"Chicago has a lot of Chinese and Taiwanese fans here to support us and I would like thank them for coming out and supporting us," she added.