Kim Clijsters makes the mother of all comebacks

In a sport increasingly dominated by teenagers, the Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters has achieved the near-impossible: she has made a comeback at the age of 26 after taking two-and-a-half years off to have a baby and managed to win the US Open.

She beat the Dane Caroline Wozniacki 7-5 6-3, becoming the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Chris Evert to win Wimbledon in 1980.

"This was not really our plan," said a jubilant Clijsters in New York last night after what was only her 14th match since coming out of retirement. "I just wanted to get back to playing tennis."

For a player who had won at Flushing Meadows in 2005, Clijsters was in the extraordinary position of having no place in the world rankings and only able to take part in the tournament thanks to a wild card entry. After her victory, she is expected to come straight back into the women's rankings within the top 20.

Clijsters, who was once engaged to the Australian Lleyton Hewitt, was married in July 2007 to American basketball player Brian Lynch. Their 18-month-old daughter, Jada, was brought down to the court after the game to see her mother lift the trophy.

The only thing spoiling what might have been a fairytale was the manner of her semi-final victory over Serena Williams.

The American has been fined $10,000 for her foul-mouthed tirade against a lineswoman on Saturday when she lost her cool after being foot-faulted.

According to the New York papers, she told the line judge: "I swear to God I'll fucking take the ball and shove it down your fucking throat." Even John McEnroe, commentating for US television, felt this was over the top and that Williams should be suspended. That may well happen, with tennis authorities now examining whether Williams's outburst constitutes a "major offence".

Williams was one set down and Clijsters was leading by six games to five and by 30-15 when the foot-fault was called, giving the Belgian two match points. At first, Williams appeared to accept the call. But then she marched towards the lineswoman and let rip. Because she had already been warned for racquet abuse earlier in the game, she was penalised one point - handing the match to Clijsters. ·