2011 19e Open GDF Suez women’s second round (part 1)
Kim Clijsters defeats Kristina Barrois 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
Ranked number two in the world, Kim Clijsters, defeated German tennis pro, Kristina Barrois, in three sets in the second round of the 19th edition of the Open GDF Suez.
The match lasted just over one hour and twenty-four minutes.
The Belgian player faced some trouble in the first set of the match, battling Barrois’s strong serve and hard-hitting style in an attempt to win the match. Barrois fired three aces during the first set, and won it 6-4.
However, Clijsters made a comeback in the second round to defeat the player in two easy sets. When asked about this, the player commented, “I wasn’t worried after the first set. I was trying to go for the winners a little bit too fast, but once I got that
under control I felt a lot more confident during the rallies”.
The Belgian super mom also stated that her opponent has a very tricky game, the likes of which are not seen on the WTA Tour, too often these days. She added that she spent the first set trying to get a feel of the Russian’s style, before moving in for the
attack.
Clijsters is seventy-six spots ahead of the German player, who is currently World Number 78. The Belgian player is 27 years old, and Barrois is two years older at 29. Both play right handed tennis. Clijsters turned pro in 1997, while Barrois joined the WTA
circuit eight years later in 2005.
Clijsters is known as one of the Comeback Queens of tennis, having returned to the game in 2009 after retiring to get married and have a daughter. She has been making waves in the tennis world ever since her return. She managed to win the US Open twice in
a row, and also took her first Australian Open crown two weeks ago. She has won fourteen of her fifteen matches so far in 2011.
This is a significant victory for Clijsters, who will become World Number 1, if she manages to reach the semi-finals of the French tournament. However, it seems as if she is not letting this fact get in the way of her concentration, after her match, she
told reporters, “It didn’t get into my mind. One more match, I guess. It will be tough. There’s a couple of tough players, who might get through”.
Clijsters, who received a bye in the first round, will be competing against either Nadia Petrova or Jelena Dokic. Australian Dokic defeated Czech player Lucie Safarova in the first round, while Russian Nadia Petrova served a straight-sets defeat to local
player Virginie Razzano in the first round.
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