6/1/2001
Clijsters Looking Better with Every Rout
by Scott Spitts
Kim Clijsters' progression to the round of 16 at Roland Garros was as effortless as could be hoped for the No12 seed. The Belgian has so far failed to lose a set, including a methodical 6-2 6-2 rout of Spaniard Marta Marrero in a tick under one hour on Friday morning.
Clijsters, sitting comfortably in the now-easier half of the women's draw, showed a rounded game, featuring powerful groundstrokes and deft volleys as she raced through her third round clash on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Marrero, 18, who reached the quarter finals here at her Grand Slam debut last year, was outclassed as she failed to match it with her physically stronger opponent. But Clijsters also displayed terrific court awareness and a desire to get off the court as soon as possible. After all, her boyfriend, No6 seed Lleyton Hewitt, faces a tough third round clash against emerging American Andy Roddick on the same court later in the day.
Significantly, Clijsters approached the net 19 times, where she won 13 points - not an easy feat on the red clay of Roland Garros. It could have even been an uglier scorecard for the Spanish youngster. The Belgian had 13 break points but only managed to nail her opponent five of those times.
The draw has opened up for Clijsters after top seeds Venus Williams (No2) and Amelie Mauresmo (No5) were ousted in the first round. After the withdrawal of Lindsay Davenport on the eve of the tournament and the exit of Russian No7 seed Elena Dementieva in the second round, the bottom half of the women's draw presents a huge opportunity for Clijsters and No 14 and No15 seeds Justine Henin and Jelena Dokic.
"We've got some good young players (in the bottom half of the draw)," Clijsters said of her rivals for a spot in the final. "I think it's very good for women's tennis to have some new players who keep going on in the tournament."
As for the pressure to succeed with such a golden opportunity, the Belgian said she was feeling better after every match and at least she had bettered her effort at Roland Garros last year when she was eliminated in the first round in her debut appearance.
~Clijsters City
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