Former world number one Kim Clijsters looked like she never left tennis for these past two years as she breezed through her first round match at the Cincinnati Open.
The Belgian ousted Stanford champion Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-3 on Monday.
“I’m really excited playing my first match.I’ve been training since the start of February, and I’ve always been focused on Cincinnati. Winning my first match feels good,” Clijsters was quoted as saying after the match.
Bartoli, who clinched the Stanford title two weeks ago after defeating Venus Williams, attributed the loss on her unfamiliarity of Clijsters’ game.
“It was very difficult to expect anything. I haven’t seen her in two years. That’s the reason I didn’t start well. I was trying to figure out what she was doing instead of playing my game. By the time I figured out her tactics, I was down 0-4. It’s just a really bad draw, I guess,” she said.
Clijsters retired in 2007 to start her own family with husband Brian Lynch. She gave birth to a daughter in February last year.
An invitation earlier this year to play at an exhibition match in Wimbledon triggered Clijsters’ interest to take another shot at competitive tennis. She got wildcard entries in Toronto and the U.S. Open later this month.
The Belgian will next face Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder in the second round.
