Clijsters completed her incredible return to Grand Slam tennis with a 7-5 6-3 win over Dane Caroline Wozniacki to claim her second US Open title.
The Belgian, 26, was a wildcard into her first Grand Slam tournament since 2007 after coming out of a two-and-a-half year retirement in August.
In that time she gave birth to a daughter, and so becomes the first mother since 1980 to win a Grand Slam.
She is also the first woman to win a major as a wildcard.
Clijsters was playing only her 14th match and third tournament since ending her 27-month retirement.
 | It's been so exciting for me, I just wanted to get back to playing tennis. The support I've received has been crazy Kim Clijsters |
As players need to have competed in three tournaments to gain a world ranking, the new US Open champion is without a ranking until Monday when she is expected to arrive inside the world's top 20.
And the fairytale nature of her victory was compounded when her 18-month old daughter, Jada, was brought down to the court to see her mother lift the trophy.
Not since Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Chris Evert to win Wimbledon in 1980 has a mother won one of the sport's four major titles.
The match itself was an entertaining contest despite windy conditions that led to more errors than either player would have expected.
Clijsters' story had overshadowed her opponent, especially as the Belgian had beaten American hopes Venus and Serena Williams on her way to the final, but it was also a landmark day for Wozniacki.
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