Kim Clijsters recovers from behind to dump Jarmila Gajdosova in round one – Sony Ericsson Open 2012
The local crowd at the Tennis Center of Crandon Park, Miami, came out to see the former world number one, Kim Clijsters, in action on Wednesday and they were given an enthralling treat by the Belgian veteran. Unseeded in the Sony
Ericsson Open, Clijsters made a tremendous recovery to win the gruelling battle against Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova in the opening round. The score line stood 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, in favour of the 28-year-old Belgian in the end.
Currently holding the number 37 spot in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) World Rankings, Clijsters battled for one hour and 43 minutes to turn the tables on the 45th ranked Gajdosova. She dropped the opening set
to fall on her back foot early in the contest but came back storming in the following two sets to rout the Aussie opponent in an assertive fashion. The 28-year-old veteran lost just one game in the last two sets of the match and forced her way to the second
round of the WTA Premier-level event in Miami, Florida.
Clijsters has been struggling from multiple chronic injuries in the season so far which resulted in her decline to the 37th spot in the world rankings. She made a thumping comeback on Wednesday, unleashing her vintage
form and class to outplay Gajdosova in style and registering her ninth victory in the 2012 WTA season.
"It's always tough to get that first match rhythm under your belt," Clijsters said after winning the enthralling battle. "When it comes down to my game I felt I wasn't quite going through my shots as I should have. I was just trying
to find that rhythm, but on the other hand maybe forgetting to still play aggressive tennis. But as I started to feel more comfortable with the conditions and being in a match situation again I was hitting better, and that definitely showed in the second and
third sets."
The Belgian broke first in the fourth game of the match, only to be broken in the very next game to fritter away her advantage. Another break of serve from Gajdosova in the seventh game deprived Clijsters from the opening set but
she rocketed away to victory by reeling off the next two sets in an authoritative fashion.
Clijsters delivered 68 per cent of her serve on target, winning 39 out of 62 first serve points and breaking her opponent six out of 10 times en route to victory. She is slated to take on the 14th seed German diva, Julia
Goerges in the second round of the tournament.
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