Belgian Kim Clijsters made a tough start to her title defence against Greta Arn and gave a hint to critics that her road to the finals, as expected, may be shaky which is why, her match up today with little known Australian Sally Peers is extremely crucial. A lot will depend on how she performs in today's match.

Clijsters has been in phenomenal form (in patches) throughout the year with the exception of majors where she fared below expectations. After early exits in Australian Open and Wimbledon, coupled with a NO-Show in Paris, the Belgian star is looking for a much awaited revival in slams. Otherwise, Clijsters' best performance came in Miami where she took out tour's leading ladies Venus Williams and Justine Henin to clinch the title. More success followed in August when Clijsters claimed her third title in Cincinnati. All this makes her a truly deserving contender for the crown in New York.

Now let's talk about her opponent in today's match. Ranked 201 in the world, Australian Sally Peers has no Sony Ericsson WTA Singles titles to her resume. Her only triumph came at the ITF level when she claimed a title in Ipswich, Australia this year. A thorough baseliner, Peers enjoys coming to the net when she can and considers Clijsters as her teenage IDOL.

This is the first meeting between both players.

Clijsters clearly has an edge and chances are that the Belgian will register her easiest win in a long time in today's match up.

TennisEarth.com's Pick - Clijsters in two easy sets.

Click here to enjoy the point-by-point commentary of this match.