But this weekend, the Flemish fledglings stumbled, losing to the Czech Republic in the semi-finals of the Fed Cup in Charleroi. Without Clijsters, it seems, they still have some way to go.

Clijsters, the world number two, was due to lead the Belgian Fed Cup team, but earlier this month she was forced to pull out: Already carrying shoulder and wrist complaints, the US Open champion compounded her health problems by badly spraining her ankle at a wedding.

In Clijsters' absence, Belgium was led by 2009 US Open semi-finalist Yanina Wickmayer, ranked 23rd in the world. However, the rest of the team - like Wickmayer, all Flemish - are much further down in the WTA rankings: Kirsten Flipkens is at 106, An-Sophie Mestach at 434 and Alison Van Uytvanck at 604. By contrast, the Czechs were led by the 18th-ranked Petra Kvitova, while the other three are all within the top 65.

In the event, it was just Wickmayer and Flipkens who played the matches in front of 6,000 fans at the Spiroudome. Both Flipkens and Wickmayer beat Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova in their singles matches, but both lost to Petra Kvitova, leaving the doubles match as the decider.

Mestach and Van Uytvanck had initially been slated for the doubles match, but Wickmayer and Flipkens (pictured) were retained instead. The gamble didn't pay off: the Czechs won that 6-4, 6-4 to set up a November final meeting with Russia in Moscow.

That means no repeat of Madrid in 2001, when Clijsters - backed by Justine Henin, Els Callens and Laurence Cortois - beat Russia to secure Belgium's only Fed Cup title. (Clijsters was absent when Henin and Flipkens lost the 2006 final against Italy). This year, as hard as they tried, the Flemish could not make up for the absence of their star player.

Despite losing, they can take some comfort. The Czechs that beat them had by far the better-ranked team. And the Flemish are young: While Flipkens is 25, Wickmayer is 21, and both Mestach and Van Uytvanck are just 17. Which suggests that the young tennis talents following in Clijsters' wake could build on this Fed Cup experience.