The 2005 US Open champion Kim Clijsters, who has received a wildcard this year, wasn’t really tested in her first-round match at the 2009 US Open and defeated  Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-1 6-1 in just 58 minutes.

The 26-year-old Clijsters is playing her third tournament after a two-year-long break and a child birth. The Belgian former world No.1 had scored victories over four Top 20 players (Marion Bartoli, Patty Schnyder, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka) in Cincinnati and Toronto, prior to this US Open.

Clijsters will most likely face world No.14 Marion Bartoli in the second round, whom she beat in Cincinnati, in the match which opened her comeback to professional tennis. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

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Elena Dementiva captured the 2009 Olympus US Open Series women’s title. The Russian won the Rogers Cup, and reached the semifinals of Stanford and Cincinnati.

Flavia Pennetta took the second place. The Italian was tied with Jelena Jankovic, but the Serb came in third, having won less Olympus US Open Series matches this year.

At the US Open 2009, the world No.4 Dementieva will compete for $2.6 million, the largest payout in tennis history – $1.6 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series.

The second and third place finishers will compete for up to $500,000 and $250,000, respectively, in bonus prize money. (source: US Open series, photo: Stephane Martinache)

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Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki defended a title for the first time in her career by defeating Russia's Elena Vesnina 6-2 6-4 and winning the New Haven title for the second year in a row.

In the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick final, the world No.23 Vesnina hit three times as many winners as Wozniacki, but ruined the advantage with four times as many errors as Wozniacki.

Vesnina was playing her second career final, at the same time her second this season, while Wozniacki won her third title of the year, after Ponte Vedra Beach and Eastbourne. (via Women Who Serve, photo via Pilot Pen Tennis)

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World No.23 Daniela Hantuchova will no longer wear Nike as of the forthcoming US Open. The Slovakian will switch to the adidas adilibria line, and is especially excited about joining the adidas Player Development Program.

More specifically, Hantuchova will wear the FW10 adilibria apparel range: the lilac purple layered tank top accompanied by a cobalt skort with a low waist and mesh overlayer. (source: Hantuchova's official website, photo: Ralf Reinecke)

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Defending US Open champion Serena Williams unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussaud in New York. The wax Serena Williams is wearing one of Serena’s most memorable outfits – the Nike piece from the 2004 US Open at which she lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals.

Watch the video of Serena and her beloved wax figure.

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