Former world number one Kim Clijsters continued her comeback from injury on Wednesday, overpowering Nicole Pratt 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the $2,1-million Pacific Life Open.
The 21-year-old Belgian needed just 49 minutes to dispatch the Australian, covering the court with a wide selection of shots and hammering 16 winners to Pratt’s four.
Clijsters spent much of 2004 on the sidelines after injuring her left wrist here at last year’s WTA hardcourt tournament. The past six months she has been in her Belgium recovering and pondering her tennis future.
”This is my first overseas tournament [of 2005],” Clijsters said. ”I felt good, especially once I got going. I feel like I am getting back into my match rhythm and I am happy that my backhand is still there.”
Unseeded Clijsters, making her sixth consecutive appearance here, converted five of six break points and had two double faults, four fewer than Pratt.
Clijsters played in only six tournaments in 2004 and saw her WTA ranking drop to the current 133rd.
Last June, she underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon and have a cyst removed. Clijsters began her comeback last month in Antwerp, reaching the quarterfinals.
To compound her personal troubles, Clijsters split with Australian boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt last October.
They shared the California desert titles in 2003 with Clijsters beating American Lindsay Davenport and Hewitt defeating Gustavo Kuerten to win the men’s crown.
”The last five years I have spent a lot of time in Australia and now I am spending more time in Belgium,” Clijsters said. ”I am a stronger person now and a more grown up person.”
She didn’t mention Hewitt by name but credits her strong family ties with helping her get through a tumultuous year.
”It is difficult when it gets so personal but my family has been incredible. You can learn from everything and everything turns out to be a positive if you look at it that way.”
Clijsters finished runner-up here four years ago, losing to Serena Williams in three sets.
Clijsters’ countrywoman Justine Henin-Hardenne will not defend her Indian Wells title as she is still recovering from a knee injury that caused her to miss the Australian Open.
Henin-Hardenne is expected to make her WTA return at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, which begins on March 21.
The women’s draw here includes the three top-ranked players as France’s Amelie Mauresmo is seeded second and Russia’s Maria Sharapova third.
The Williams sisters are absent, having decided not to compete here since they were booed by the crowd in 2001.
In other first round matches Wednesday, France’s Severine Beltrame defeated Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-0, Czech Eva Birnerova defeated Tamerine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-4, 6-2 and Italy’s Tathiana Garbin crushed Aniko Kapros of Hungary 6-1, 6-2.
Play in the ATP men’s event here begins on Friday. – Sapa-AFP