Kim Clijsters will be the prohibitive favorite against Vera Zvonareva in Saturday night's U.S. Open women's singles final at the National Tennis Center.

Let's face it, Clijsters has become the Beast of Flushing Meadow. When she walks into the National Tennis Center, she habitually morphs from a shaky competitor with a long history of underperforming in Grand Slam matches (and, lately, taking puzzling losses to lesser players) into a rock-ribbed champion. Her victory over a resurgent Venus Williams in the semifinals was her 20th consecutive win at the U.S. Open. Only Chris Evert had a longer winning steak (31 -- a remarkable number).

But every once in a while even the most conservative pundit feels irresistibly drawn to a limb, saw in hand. This one is mine. I'm picking Zvonareva to win in a resounding upset. I can even rationalize my gut feeling.

At 26, Zvonareva is at a career-defining moment in the most critical year of her career. Until 2010, she was an Exhibit A "head case," blessed with all the tools and weapons for conventional warfare (I'll grant she doesn't have a nuclear option comparable to Serena Williams' serve) but insufficient nerve and will to make the most of them. You remember how she left here last year in tears after botching six match points and generally making a hash of a fourth-round encounter with Flavia Pennetta.

It was a signature Zvonareva meltdown, waterworks and all. But I believe thing are different now; Zvonareva handled herself well a few months ago at Wimbledon and played a solid, competitive match against Serena in her first Grand Slam (taking out Clijsters in the quarters -- how soon we forget!). And in the only other major she's played this year, Clijsters found a way to lose to Nadia Petrova in the third round of the Australian Open.

So much for the psychology, now for the X's and O's. Here are the three things I would tell Zvonareva to do in order to close the deal:

1. Pressure the Clijsters serve. Kim drops serve frequently these days. Although she was broken "only" four times by Venus in the semis, Slammin' Sammy Stosur got to her serve eight times in the previous round. So go after that serve, Vera. Don't be afraid to rip the big return down the line or chip-and-charge; you have the skill to do it. Be especially attack-minded on those potentially critical 0-15 or 15-all points. If you can keep it close on Kim's service games, you'll force her to play more conservatively and eventually tease out those anxiety-borne errors.

2. Get aggressive when serving. Granted, your serve isn't humongous. But Kim doesn't play big, risky returns. So load it up when you serve and try to get Kim back on her heels to start the point. It's a good way to take control of the rallies. Kim likes to step into the court and gradually move forward. But if you can make her start that journey from far enough back, or from a defensive posture, she'll give you enough open court. And this court likes your relatively flat, low-bouncing groundies.

3. Do what you can to handcuff her. If you find yourself in rallies, resist the urge to open up the court -- she's at her absolute best when she's counterpunching, or hitting the angles after being stretched wide. Kim is a ball-banger, happiest when she's swinging from the heels. She doesn't like waiting games, so make her play them by offering off-speed balls down the center of the court, and attack behind them now and then just to keep her honest. Match her athleticism and power with your considerable skills as a pace-changer and volleyer.

Kim Clijsters is the Beast of Flushing Meadow, but if you read your childhood storybooks, you know that eventually, the beast is slain, and often by an unlikely hero.

Vera Zvonareva is that unlikely hero.