Clijsters claims first title of year in Warsaw

WARSAW, May 7 (Reuters) Belgian Kim Clijsters claimed her first title of the season when she defeated Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova to win the Warsaw Cup today.

Her 7-5 6-2 victory not only denied Kuznetsova, playing the 300th match of her career, a second title of the year after she had won in Miami, but meant she has now lost three consecutive Warsaw finals.

She was beaten by Venus Williams in 2004 and Justine Henin-Hardenne in 2005, and has not won a title on her favourite clay surface since she won in Helsinki as a qualifier in 2002.

Top seed Clijsters, who conceded the number one ranking to Amelie Mauresmo in March, was playing only her fifth tournament of the year after suffering ankle and hip injuries.

The title is her first since she won on home soil in Belgium last October.

REUTERS PG BD1826