Clijsters out, Sharapova escapes teen scare

Kim Clijsters crashed out of Roland Garros yesterday, her worst Grand Slam result in nine years, as Maria Sharapova escaped humiliation at the hands of a fearless 17-year-old French girl.

Second seed Clijsters let slip a set and a 5-2 lead, and squandered two match points, to slump to a stunning 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 second-round defeat to Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus, the world number 114.

Seventh seed Sharapova came back from a set and 1-4 down to win 11 games in succession to defeat world number 188 Caroline Garcia, playing in only her second tour level tournament, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Despite not having played a claycourt match in the run-up to Roland Garros, due to a shoulder problem and then a freak ankle injury suffered while dancing at a cousin’s wedding, Clijsters said she had been ready to compete.

“I’m happy that I gave myself an opportunity. If I had said: ‘It’s better not to come’, that would be the attitude of a real loser,” said the US and Australian Open champion, playing in Paris for the first time since 2006.

“I had practised well. Physically everything was fine. I was definitely ready.”

On a chilly and windswept Philippe Chatrier court, the 27-year-old, the runner-up in 2001 and 2003, committed a total of 65 unforced errors and 10 double faults.

The slender 1.80m Rus, named in honour of Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, the triple Roland Garros champion, said: “It was my biggest win. Kim is my hero. I played fantastic tennis.”

Rus is the first Dutchwoman to make the third round of a Grand Slam since Michaella Kracijek at Wimbledon in 2007 and next faces Russia’s Maria Kirilenko for a place in the last 16.

Sharapova, the former world number one and triple Grand Slam title winner, looked set to follow Clijsters out of the tournament.

But the Russian superstar summoned her famed fighting spirit to set-up a clash against Taiwan’s Chan Yung-Jan for a place in the last 16 after a bruising experience.

“She played unbelievable and the conditions were really tough. So I tried to be steady and to adjust the best I could,” said Sharapova, who had been scheduled to face Clijsters in the last eight.

Also making the last 32 were Chinese sixth seed Li Na who saw off Spanish qualifier Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-4, 7-5.

Australian runner-up Li will face Sorana Cirstea for a place in the last 16 after the Romanian, a quarter-finalist in 2009, defeated 27th-seeded compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2, 7-5.

On a day when swirling winds sent the red dirt flying at Roland Garros, men’s top seed Rafael Nadal, the man he beat in last year’s final, Robin Soderling, and Andy Murray all said they were happy to win through to the French Open third round despite not playing at their best.

“Brutal” was how Murray des-cribed the conditions out on the centre court during his 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 7-5 win over Italy’s Simone Bolelli.

Soderling was first up and although he came through relatively easily 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 against Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos, he admitted that it had been tough to play his best tennis.

“It was tough to feel really perfect. But overall, a win in straight sets is always good,” he said.

It was tougher even still for the man who beat him in last year’s final here as Nadal once again struggled to impose his peerless claycourt game on a lowly-ranked opponent.

In the first round it was giant American John Isner who led Nadal by two sets to one before losing in five and this time it was 48-ranked compatriot Pablo Andujar who gave him a tough workout before losing 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Other results: (Women) Azarenka bt Parmentier 6-0, 6-1; Wickmayer bt Morita 6-4, 7-5. (Men) Veic bt Davydenko 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1; Berrer bt Clement 7-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4; Troicki bt Kamke 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.