The Hindu : Sport : Clijsters makes a winning return

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 17, 2005

Sport

Sport

Clijsters makes a winning return

ANTWERP, FEB. 16. Former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters beat Jelena Kostanic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3 in the Diamond Games on Tuesday in her first match in four months. The Belgian star smiled often on court, and played with ease.

Clijsters said her problematic left wrist, which kept her off the WTA Tour for most of the past year, did not bother her during the opening match in defence of her hometown title.

"So far so good," Clijsters told more than 10,000 fans in a packed Sports Palace. "I had good backhands, not always perfect ones, but that is to be expected at this point. I hope all will go better now."

Roddick cruises

At Memphis, top-seeded Andy Roddick, coming off a title in San Jose, defeating Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Tuesday night.

Roddick, who won here in 2002, took less than an hour to defeat Lee. The South Korean had pushed Roddick to three sets in San Jose.

At Rotterdam, fourth-seeded David Nalbandian was upset by Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament on Tuesday and complained that he couldn't follow the ball on the red indoor court.

"It wasn't because of the light, but possibly because of the colours," Nalbandian said. "It took a while before I began to grow in the game. But after a good second set I had trouble with my concentration, and I made too many mistakes. It's too bad."

The results:

At Memphis (ATP RMK Championships): First round: Xavier Malisse bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3; Irakli Labadze bt Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 7-6(1); Jan-Michael Gambill bt Jiri Novak 6-0, 6-4; Arnaud Clement bt Davide Sanguinetti 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-1; Vince Spadea bt Thomas Enqvist 7-5, 6-2; Robby Ginepri bt Zach Dailey 6-2, 6-0; Andy Roddick bt Lee Hyung-taik 6-3, 6-4.

At Memphis (WTA Cellular South Cup): Second round: Jamea Jackson bt Sesil Karatantcheva 6-3, 6-4. First round: Michaella Krajicek bt Kelly McCain 6-4, 6-4; Meghann Shaughnessy bt Laura Granville 6-3, 6-4; Vera Zvonareva bt Michaela Pastikova 6-3, 6-1; Cho Yoon-jeong bt Antonella Serra Zanetti 6-4, 1-6, 6-2; Yuka Yoshida, Japan, bt Katerina Bohmova, Czech Republic, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

At Salvador (ATP Brasil Open): First round: Peter Luczak bt Fernando Gonzalez 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; Alex Corretja bt David Ferrer 6-0, 5-7 (retd.); Alberto Martin bt Filippo Volandri 7-5, 1-0 (retd.); Guillermo Garcia-Lopez bt Juan Monaco 6-1, 6-3; Edgardo Massa bt Flavio Saretta 6-3, 6-1; Andre Sa bt Julio Silva 6-2, 6-4; Ricardo Mello bt Albert Montanes 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Mariano Zabaleta bt Mariano Puerta 6-4, 6-2; Martin Vassallo Arguello bt Felix Mantilla 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-3; Alex Calatrava bt Juan Antonio Marin 6-3, 6-4; Rafael Nadal bt Jose Acasuso 7-6(1), 6-3.

At Bogota (Copa Colsanitas): First round: Fabiola Zuluaga bt Marie-Eve Pelletier 6-1, 6-1; Flavia Pennetta bt Frederica Piedade 6-2, 6-1; Barbora Strycova bt Vanina Garcia Sokol 7-6(5), 6-1; Maria Fernanda Alves bt Tatiana Perebiynis 6-4, 7-6(7); Lourdes Dominguez Lino bt Laura Pous Tio 6-4, 6-1; Zsofia Gubacsi bt Vilmarie Castellvi 6-4, 7-5; Eva Birnerova bt Maria-Emilia Salerni 6-2, 6-4; Catalina Castano bt Aleksandra Wozniak 7-6(4), 6-3.

At Rotterdam (ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament): First round: Michael Llodra bt Peter Wessels 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2; Radek Stepanek bt David Nalbandian 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; Olivier Rochus bt Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-6(4); Tim Henman bt Nicolas Kiefer 7-5, 6-4; Mario Ancic bt Taylor Dent 7-6(5), 7-5.

At Antwerp: (WTA Proximus Diamond Games): First round: Klara Koukalova bt Nathalie Dechy 7-6(7), 6-4; Katarina Srebotnik bt Maria Elena Camerin 3-6, 6-2, 6-4; Nadia Petrova bt Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-1; Anna Chakvetadze bt Karolina Sprem 7-5, 6-3; Camille Pin bt Marta Marrero 6-1, 6-2; Kim Clijsters bt Jelena Kostanic 6-2, 6-3; Virginie Razzano bt Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-3; Mary Pierce bt Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-1. — Agencies

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