Kim Clijsters, playing her first tour match since early March, survived a tough challenge from Spain’s Marta Marrero to reach the third round of the German Open with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory on Wednesday.
”In these kind of matches, just winning them and it doesn’t matter how is sometimes more satisfying than winning tournaments,” said the top seed, who was restricted by a brace on her injured left wrist.
”I was just happy to get through this match although it wasn’t the best I’ve played in my career.”
It was a difficult match for Clijsters, and she looked distinctly uncomfortable at times against an accomplished clay-court opponent. Marrero struck a number of impressive crosscourt winners, and Clijsters suffered a mid-match crisis in the second set.
The Belgian took the opening set on a break of serve at 3-2 and then allowing Marrero just two points in the remaining three games.
But Marrero broke to lead 3-1 in the second and Clijsters’ game went to pieces. Already restricted with her double-handed backhand, her usually reliable forehand deserted her, and Marrero broke again at 5-2 to level the match.
In the final set, Clijsters broke to lead 1-0 and had a chance to take firm control when she held another break point at 2-0. But she overhit a return, and Marrero broke her to love in the next game to level at 2-2.
With the match delicately balanced, Marrero’s challenge then imploded when she struck two consecutive double-faults to give Clijsters a break at 3-3, but the Belgian still had to fight off two break points at 5-4 as she served for the match.
”I didn’t come here and expect to win all my matches one and one,” said Clijsters.
”I wasn’t playing my best tennis all the time. It wasn’t consistent enough, but I played well at the end when I had to. What I have to focus on now is working my way back to being consistent the whole match.”
Second-seed Amelie Mauresmo had a far easier task in disposing of Gisela Dulko, winning 6-1, 6-2.
A combination of a weak serve from Dulko and strong returns from Mauresmo allowed the second seed from France a comfortable victory.
Dulko initially offered more resistance early in the second set, rallying strongly and often pulling Mauresmo wide. But a double-fault at 2-2 ended her brief threat to extend the match, and a netted backhand at 4-2 left Mauresmo serving for a place in the third round.
”I think the first couple games it was a little tight, then I was able to find my rhythm and make sure she didn’t have any opportunity to hurt me,” said Mauresmo.
”I’m pretty satisfied with today’s match and every area of the game. My back is off and on a little bit and I don’t serve like I wish I could, but it was okay today and hopefully it will keep going like that.”
Venus Williams, winner of her past two tournaments in Charleston and Warsaw, claimed her 12th consecutive victory as she resisted a strong challenge from Eleni Daniilidou to win 7-5, 6-3. The battle was highly entertaining, with several exchanges at the net and long rallies during which the players pulled each other all around the court.
Daniilidou dropped her serve at 5-4 in the first set, and double-faulted on break point as Williams led 6-5. In the second, Daniilidou broke to lead 1-0, but her serve let her down again as she double-faulted to allow Williams to level at 2-2. A return off a second serve then gave the third-seeded American a decisive break at 4-3.
”There were some fun points. She hit a lob over me and I swung at it and missed, and went back and hit it again. That was fun,” said Williams.
”I was a little bit off today, I felt, but I was able to raise my game at the right times. There was a lot of running and a lot of movement, and it was good for me to play a match like that.”
In other matches, ninth-seeded Vera Zvonareva was beaten 6-1, 6-7 (2/7), 6-1 by Australian Open semifinalist Fabiola Zuluaga. But there were wins for fourth seed Anastasia Myskina, seventh seed Elena Dementieva, eighth seed Ai Sugiyama, 10th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 11th seed Paola Suarez, 13th seed Patty Schnyder and 16th seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi.
Maria Sharapova, seeded 17, also advanced when Petra Mandula of Austria retired during the first set with a right shoulder strain.
The Russian was leading 5-4. — Sapa-AFP