DOHA, Qatar (AP)?Kim Clijsters returned from a six-week break Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 win over an ailing Jelena Jankovic in the group stage of the WTA Championships.
The fourth-ranked Clijsters has not played since winning the U.S. Open in September because of a foot injury, but she won the first eight points without reply on her way to a comfortable win on Wednesday.
Jankovic said after her opening match?a defeat by Vera Zvonareva?that she was struggling with illness. The Serb took a 2-1 lead in the second set, but Clijsters came back to make it 4-2 before closing out the match when Jankovic double-faulted.
Clijsters looked comfortable on the court, moving easily and pulling off several cross court winners that Jankovic was unable to return. She did show a bit of rust, committing 10 double faults to go with her seven aces.
?I knew it was going to be a tough one,? Clijsters said. ?I?m happy with not everything I did today but trying to remember the positives and take those to tomorrow?s match.?
In Wednesday?s opening match, Zvonareva claimed her second win of the White Group by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-4 in a closely fought match.
The No. 2-ranked Russian also kept alive her slim hopes of finishing the year as the top-ranked player, although a win for Caroline Wozniacki later on Wednesday would secure the 20-year-old Dane the No. 1 spot.
Zvonareva must win her last match in the group stage and then make it to the final if she is to have any chance of toppling Wozniacki, who plays Sam Stosur later Wednesday.
After the group stage, the top two players from each group advance to the semifinals.
Zvonareva recovered from 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4 down in the first set, winning the tiebreaker with the help of an ace and several other big serves.
In the second set, she was behind 2-0 and 3-1 before winning 6-4 against a visibly frustrated Azarenka.
Zvonareva said it was ?a good win? especially given she was able to repeatedly come back against a hard-hitting opponent who kept her off balance for much of the night.
?I?m really happy that, you know, I was able to come back in those two sets when I was down,? she said. ?I think I shouldn?t have started that slow, because I gave her an advantage right away. But at the same time, I was just trying to find my rhythm. I was trying to play aggressive. Of course when you?re taking a little bit more risk, those mistakes will come.?
Azarenka, the 10th-ranked player who only got invited to the tournament because of an injury to Serena Williams, chalked up her loss to several missed chances.
?Yes, definitely it was a close match. I had a lot of chances,? he said. ?Very unlucky at some moments ? But, you know, it?s part of the game. You just have to deal with it. I think I played a good match. I?m still in the group. I still have chances to play further.?
The match between two good friends lasted for over two hours and was easily the most entertaining in the tournament so far with several rallies of 10 shots or more.
Azarenka, who was coming off a victory in the Kremlin Cup, started out strongly helped by some superb forehands and erratic play on the part of Zvonareva.
Zvonareva struggled with her serve early on and was hitting too many balls into the net or long, prompting her at one point to kick the ground, mumble and cradle her racket. But Zvonareva got her game going late in the first set, hitting several aces and backhand winners down the line. She leveled at 6-6 and then raced out to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak and closed out the set with Azarenka netting.
The second set started much the same with Azarenka the aggressor. But up 3-1, she let Zvonareva back in the match with several double faults and shots that sailed long. Helped by a strong backhand and improving serve, Zvonareva took the lead at 5-4 and closed it out when Azarenka hit a shot long.
Source: http://feeds.tennis.com/~r/tenniscom-news/~3/DQoPe0F-EEk/
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