Kim Clijsters finished 6-0 6-1 on Wednesday, playing just 47 minutes against Stephanie Foretz Gacon to set up a third-round match with 20th seed and friend, Daniela Hantuchova.
Entering her 10th Australian Open and first as defending champion, most of the pre-tournament discussion centred around Clijsters’s hip, which she injured in Brisbane.
Clijsters moved freely around the court today, not that she was stretched a great deal. The Belgian’s natural inclination to move forward and attack was at its best as she heaped the pressure on Foretz Gacon from the very first game.
The Frenchwoman struggled under the weight of the Australian Open 2011 champion’s ground strokes. For most of the match she tried to go shot for shot with Clijsters, a tactic that did not hold up in the heat of the day.
For too long Foretz Gacon played the role of retriever, but Clijsters regularly conjured shots that Superman would have had trouble returning. And when Foretz Gacon did try to attack, it was too little too late.
“[I] was hitting the ball well; felt that I could keep her under pressure. I didn't really let her play her game. From the beginning till the end, I did what I had to do well,” said Clijsters.
Clijsters broke Foretz Gacon in the second game of the match and then did so twice more to take the opening set to love in a mere 22 minutes.
At times Foretz Gacon battled to deuce on the Clijsters’ serve, but she lacked the killer punch when she needed it. Time and again Clijsters was let off the hook by an unforced error or a short ball that could be turned into an easy winner.
The Frenchwoman didn’t make an impression on the scoreboard until early in the second set, but any thoughts of a fightback were soon extinguished.
Both the 11th seed’s forehand and backhand were on song today as Clijsters racked up 16 winners to Foretz Gacon’s two, and she said she found the rhythm that was missing in her opening-round win over Maria Joao Koehler.
And that’s bad news for Hantuchova.
Born just six weeks apart, these two know each other well and last met in Brisbane two weeks ago when Clijsters was forced to retire.
But now, recovered and back to her best, Clijsters will be looking forward to her third-round match with Hantchova where she will be hoping to continue on her merry way.
