Kim Clijsters cripples Maria Joao Koehler in the opening round – Australian Open 2012:Tennis Special
A former world number one, Kim Clijsters, destroyed Portuguese qualifier, Maria Joao Koehler, with a breadstick at the Australian Open 2012 on Monday. She clobbered a 7-5, 6-1 victory over the 19-year-old Portuguese to advance into the second round at the first Grand Slam of the season taking place on the hard courts in Melbourne, Australia.
Eleventh seed, Clijsters, showed top notch performance at the Rod Laver Arena and earned a straight set victory in an hour and eight minutes long marathon. Battling each other for the first time, the Belgian not only took lead in the head-to-head series by 1-0 against Koehler but also inched closer to the 2000 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) ranking points.
Currently ranked 14th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Clijsters confidently entered the opening set and smoothly bagged entire serves without facing any breakpoint. She cashed in the only break opportunity in the last game and clinched the opener with a 7-5 score line in 42 minutes.
Belgian number one kept momentum flowing into the second set and got the desiderated break in the second game, eventually going 3-0 up. After the teenager held her serve in the fourth game, Clijsters unleashed her true colours again and wiped out next three games in a row, earning a breadstick in 26 minutes.
The Belgian manipulated a higher first serve share of 59 percent as compared to Koehler’s 46 percent and clinched an amazing 29 out of 36 points on it. She also hammered ten winners and committed fewer double faults.
"It was hard to read her serve and get used to a player I'd never played before. I really had to find my rhythm out there," Clijsters said after the match. "But I was excited to go out there and start playing again. I've had that since we came to Australia. I had a good off-season and wanted to put it to the test.”
After sidelined for most of the 2011 season due to injuries, Clijsters made an epic comeback at the Antwerp WTA Exhibition event in December 2011 and upset the world number one, Carline Wozniacki in straight sets. She grabbed the Australian Open title last year and climbed to the number one spot at the WTA rankings in February. Clijsters also made final showdowns at the Apia Sydney International and Paris WTA Premier events.
The blooming star, Clijsters recreated her magic in the start of this season. She breezed past many tennis stars including Ana Ivanovic and Simona Halep with breadsticks to reach the last four at the Brisbane International. However, she was forced to retire in the semi-finals against Daniela Hantuchova due to an injury.
"I'm happy it's over with. It's something we'll keep a close eye on, and I still get treated every day, so we make sure all the muscles around it are strong."
Next up for the Belgian veteran is the French starlet, Stephanie Foretz Gacon, who stomped over the British, Elena Baltacha, in straight sets to reach this spot.
The defending champion can easily trash the French if she maintains her intensity. She committed seven double faults and 25 unforced errors in this match. The Belgian can certainly triumph over a lower ranked player with authority but she needs to improve her game and reduce her error count in order to overpower a Top-10 player.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: