Clijsters Closes Set Deficit to Beat Jankovic at Stanford

Clijsters, ranked No.2 and the top seed in Stanford, grabbed an early 5-3 lead and seemed to be headed for a routine win, like her two set wins in all three of their prior encounters. But the feisty Jankovic reeled off four games in a row to tuck away the opening set, and although she ended up losing in three sets, she forced Clijsters to lift her game in order to advance.

"I thought I started playing better when I won a couple long rallies early in the second set," Clijsters said afterwards. "In the first set I had to get used to the situation. I was coming off playing on grass, and indoors during Fed Cup, and I had to get used to playing at night."

Clijsters has now won 16 of 18 matches here at the Bank of the West Classic. She has captured the title three times, in 2001 (beating Lindsay Davenport in the final), 2003 (beating Jennifer Capriati) and last year (beating Venus Williams). The 23-year-old Belgian was also a runner-up in 2002 (beating Davenport in the semifinals before falling to Williams in the final). Last year, the Stanford title run was just the beginning of an impeccable US Open Series showing, where she also won at Los Angeles and Toronto before claiming her first major at the US Open.

Of four seeds in action Wednesday, Clijsters was the only one to advance; Ai Sugiyama (No.6), Shahar Peer (No.7) and Katarina Srebotnik (No.8) were given early exits by unseeded players.

In second round action, Sugiyama was sent home by French teenager Tatiana Golovin, 62 63, and Peer was ousted by Australia's Samantha Stosur, 75 63. In the only other second round encounter played Wednesday, Jill Craybas outlasted compatriot Shenay Perry, 63 36 76(2).

"It was important I stayed calm and positive," Golovin said after improving to 4-0 lifetime against Sugiyama. "I was able to get a good rhythm. My ankle is feeling better and I was moving well, which is important against a player like Ai, who moves very well and can get to many balls."

"She never really got a chance to attack my serve," said Stosur on her match with Peer. "She has good ground strokes and as soon as the ball drops, she's always looking to do something with it and try to finish the point. I didn't really give her a chance to do that, especially on my service games."

For the second time in the last four days, Srebotnik fell to Russian former Top 10 player Vera Zvonareva. They played in the Cincinnati final this past weekend, and this time they met in a first round encounter here, Zvonareva winning, 64 63. Other first round winners on Wednesday were Nathalie Dechy, who beat Maria Elena Camerin, 06 76(6) 63; and Japanese qualifier Akiko Morigami, who routed Gisela Dulko, 60 63.

Clijsters, Golovin, Stosur and Craybas will learn their quarterfinal opponents on Thursday, as the last four second round matches take the court. Clijsters will face either Dechy or Zvonareva; Craybas will take on either No.2 seed Patty Schnyder or Morigami; Stosur will face No.3 seed Nicole Vaidisova or Sybille Bammer; and Golovin awaits No.4 seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld or qualifier Vasilisa Bardina.
-- WTA