Clijsters upset, Sharapova survives in French

PARIS - after match in the second set of wasting two points and feeling his confidence fainting, Kim Clijsters left the match away Thursday at the France Open.

Finalist Garros, seeded second in the tournament this year, lost the 114th largest Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands times 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 to two.

"I started to doubt a little", said Clijsters, playing his second game as a right ankle injury knocked her out of combat. "When you start doubting yourself on any surface, but for me certainly on clay, it is the wrong attitude to have."

Maria Sharapova also struggled, but the Russia seeded seventh won 11 games after that ended 4-1 in the second set and beat the 17 years Caroline Garcia de France 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Clijsters, who had won past 15 Grand Slam matches after taking titles at the US Open last year courses and Open of Australia this year, did not convert either point game in the second set.

Playing with his right ankle registered, the Belgian committed errors not forced 65 and lost 11 of 12 games final. RUS finished with 22 errors not enforced and had eight winners in the entire game.

"My ankle feels fine, which has absolutely nothing to do with him", said Clijsters. "If I felt like I was not ready as much as I wanted to be, I wouldn't come here.". If I wasn't printing that I was able to play the difficult matches, then I would not have taken this decision to come here. ?

Clijsters had his first chance to close the match against the Dutch when leading 5-2 in the second set, but saved Rus point of the match and held the make 5-3 before breaking Clijsters back on serve.

"When I was 5-2 down in the second set, I thought, ' just go and play more aggressive," Rus a. "and, Yes, that really helped."

"At 6-5 I had a very good serve game, and then I won the game.". Then I thought, "Yeah, I can win this match," "she."

Clijsters had another match point in the 10th game, but Rus recorded again and finally pushed the score to 5-5.

With changing dynamics, Clijsters double-defective for the seventh time, one of its 28 errors not enforced on the whole, to permit the Rus to break and make the second set.

"It obviously began to build more confidence, began playing much better and really nice to me on my back foot all the time.". I could not really play my tennis aggressive anymore in this third series, "said Clijsters.

Clijsters injured his right ankle in dancing at the marriage of his cousin in April, its marginalization to Garros. She played at Roland Garros in 2006, when she reached the semi-finals.

But, since his return to the tour in 2009 following the birth of her daughter, Clijsters has won three of her four Grand Slam titles.

RUS, junior champion Open of Australia in 2008, reached the third round of a tournament Grand Slam for the first time.

Garcia, who was playing in only his second tournament, led 4-1 in the second set. But Sharapova then took control and won every game after that.

"I think that never the game is over until it is really," said Sharapova. "I think that any situation you are put in, any good or bad you feel, you do not have to complete the game.".

"More than anything I just tried to be more consistent," she said.

Sharapova has won the Italian open on May 15, the largest career clay-court title. She won the French Open, the only Grand Slam title not on his curriculum vitae.

"It could easily have the other way today, but I think that I knew I had to make an adjustment," Sharapova said. "More than anything, I felt like I really intensified." (And which was necessary if I wanted to win this game.) ?

Garcia is a rising star on the stage of French tennis. She reached the second round at the Australia Open in January in his debut at the level of the tower.

Garros is only his second tournament, and she is again through the first round.

Against Sharapova, she played a large part of the game with its confidence high, find four corners of the Court and placing his shots just out of reach of his opponent.

"I was giving no points for it, and I was very specific," Garcia said. "And I was hitting high areas that she does not like because she is tall, so it is difficult for her.".

Stellar play of Garcia early in the game has already drawn praise from one of its players, the Open of Australia Andy Murray finalist.

"Girl sharapova plays will be No.1 in world one day Carolina garcia, what player u heard here 1," the Murray seeded fourth tweeted.

Sharapova did not really disagree.

"It's a long road and a long journey," said the 24 year old Russian. "There will be many WINS and losses." It is difficult for me to say, but it is on its way, no doubt. ?

In other results, Vania King of the United States back on board Elena Baltacha of Britain 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The King ranked 115th is in the third round of a tournament Grand Slam for the second time only in 20 tests.

She Bethanie Mattek-sands, who won Wednesday, are the first women other than Venus and Serena Williams to make it this far at Roland Garros since 2006.

No. 4 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, no. 6 Li Na, no. 9 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, no. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, no. 15 Andrea Petkovic, Germany, no. 21 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, no. 25 Maria Kirilenko, Russia and no. 30 Roberta Vinci Italy also advanced to the third roundwhereas no. 27 Alexandra Dulgheru of the Romania lost.

Li Beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa, of the Spain, 6 - 4, 7-5 and Kvitova defeated twice Grand Slam semifinalist Zheng Jie of China 6 - 4, 6-1.

Clijsters stunned Paris. Sharapova returns

He y many excuses available to Kim Clijsters after a collapse narcotic in the second round of the France Open against a woman ranked 114th.

In the assessment of its defeat 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 against Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands on Thursday, the second seeded Clijsters may have reported to it strongly registered right ankle, which she so badly that Dancing Barefoot to his cousin of the marriage last month.

By recounting how she managed to two points of the game of waste and drop 11 of the last 12 games after leading 5-2 in the second series, the Belgian could have mentioned it last entry Garros in 2006 and has played a total of five games of clay-court anywhere since.

And explaining its non-forced errors 65-43 more fact opponent - and 10 double-faults, Clijsters could have recalled all the world that she had not participated at all since late March because of the ankle bum and prior injuries to his right shoulder and wrist.

Instead, the winner of the last two Grand Slam titles and four overall, made a finger squarely on itself and an odd crisis of confidence.

"I started to doubt a little", said Clijsters, the French open in 2001 and 2003 finalist. "When you yourself start doubting on any surface - but for me, no doubt on clay - it's the wrong attitude to have."

Roger Federer the Switzerland returns the ball to Maxim Teixeira France in their second match of the round of the French tennis tournament open, the stade Roland Garros in Paris, Wednesday, may 25, 2011.

The 27-year-old Clijsters also gave credit to old Rus for 20 years, who entered the day with a 3-4 career record in major tournaments and only twice before, had been at Court Philippe Chatrier - and these visits have been as a spectator.

After delivering one of the most surprising results of tennis over the past years, Rus acknowledged that she was nervous at the outset, perhaps because Clijsters is one of his favourite players, a person, she used to cheer for replay on television.

"She obviously began to build more confidence, began playing much better and was really nice to me on my back foot all the time, Clijsters a." I could not really play my tennis aggressive anymore in this third game ".".

A similar scenario played later in this stage Thursday, except that this is heavy favourite, three-time major champion Maria Sharapova, who appeared to be down and out against a kid inexperienced, age 17 entered French wild-card of Carolina Garciabefore reeling off 11 last games to win 3-66-4, 6-0.

"Look", said the seventh seed Sharapova, "it could easily go the other way."

She said she was dealing with problems wind gusting to more than 20 mph, making the balls to move unexpectedly sometimes and sometimes raising clouds of loose clay in the eyes of the players.

These conditions led to the good word of Rafael Nadal: "If you play well, seems much less wind.". If you play bad, appears as a hurricane. ?

French Open champion five times was not forced to work as hard as he did in the beyond John Isner in five sets Tuesday, Nadal was hardly satisfied after beating the 48th rank Pablo Andujar of Spain, 7-56-3, 7-6 (4).

"I played that well," said Nadal, who spent 7 hours, 19 minutes on Court. "" "". I am not happy, but I'm here. ?

He needed clear eight set points after the flight of 5-1 in the third against Andujar, who said that he considers Nadal is "was perhaps a period of doubt."

Clijsters to compete with the ankle in French

Brussels - Kim Clijsters says she is well enough to compete at the France Open.

The Belgian said Monday that she will play with his right ankle recorded but added that the injuries to his shoulder and wrist is no longer hinder his before the tournament Grand Slam that she has yet to win.

Clijsters is a finalist in the France twice, and slow clay is generally regarded as its lower surface. Until last week, it had been considered doubtful. She had been excluded since early last month and resumed on Court two weeks of training. The tournament begins Sunday.

"Play is wonderful." "I am hitting the ball very well and more and more I'm going for it", she said. "I am not completely without pain, but the strong band around my ankle gives me a sufficient guarantee."

In a schedule busy early spring it overexerted his shoulder and right wrist and withdrew from the tour last month. Its problems have been exacerbated when she also wounded in the ankle by wearing high heels to the marriage of his cousin.

With a sweep of late withdrawals, including the Williams sisters, the French are wide open. And Clijsters, U.S. and Open of Australia champion, is confident that it can do.

"The advantage is that I still have the spirit of the Grand slam tournaments last." If I play well, I can win. "Attitude is very important, even if the situation is physically very different", she said.

The grass of Wimbledon is more suited to his game and it has already signed to participate in a warm-up tournament in the Netherlands, which begins June 12.

Clijsters should be rusty coming. She has missed the semi-finals of the Fed Cup against the Czech Republic, who lost to the Belgium. Then, she was forced to ignore the Italian Open because of his ankle.

The complex of the ankle injury - ligaments were strained on top of a torn ankle joint capsule and tendon sheath - forced to keep his right ankle immobilized for several days.

Two weeks ago, she has resumed full training.

"It has been a time since I played a match, let alone on red clay," she said. "We will see where I must."