Clijsters rolls to win over Australian teen
By Joshua Rey
When Australian Sally Peers was 10 years old, she successfully secured an autographed photo from a fast-rising tennis player named Kim Clijsters. When she returns home to Melbourne, she may want to hide that photo someplace out of sight, so Wednesday’s second-round match between the two will stay out of mind.
Clijsters, a two-time US Open champion, made Peers’ debut on Arthur Ashe Stadium a forgettable one by speeding to a 6-2, 6-1 win in 56 minutes. The now 19-year-old qualifier held just once in seven service games.
Peers can take solace in the fact that for five games, she and the No. 2 seed were on even terms. That’s because Clijsters let leads of 2-0 and 3-1 slip away, breaking Peers only to be broken immediately thereafter.
But after belting a down-the-line backhand winner to break Peers in the sixth game, Clijsters never looked back.
In a third-round match Friday, Clijsters will play No. 27 seed Petra Kvitova, who defeated former world No. 1 Dinara Safina at last year’s US Open.
“Hopefully when the opponents get tougher, I’ll play better,” said Clijsters.
Match Facts
– In a losing effort, Peers made 68 percent of her first serves.
– In a winning effort, Clijsters made 51 percent of her first serves.
– Clijsters hit 22 winners and made 21 unforced errors.
– Peers won just one of 16 points on her second serve.
