Former champions Jelena Jankovic and Kim Clijsters cruised into the Indian Wells third round by posting straight-set victories on Friday.
World No. 2 Clijsters, who won in 2003 and 2005, swept past Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva with a dominating 6-2, 6-0 victory in the second round of the hard-court tournament.
Defending champion Jankovic also showed plenty of firepower, crushing Coco Vandeweghe of the US in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.
Photo: Reuters
“I was happy to be playing out on center court,” Clijsters said.
There were three former women’s champions in action on Friday, including Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic who defeated Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-4, 6-2 in Friday’s evening session. Ivanovic won in Indian Wells three years ago.
The women’s draw also includes world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who lost in the final last year to Jankovic 6-2, 6-4.
Second seed Clijsters needed just 52 minutes to beat Kudryavtseva and advance to play Sara Errani. Italy’s Errani defeated Jarmila Groth 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
Belgium’s Clijsters clinched her match when the Russian’s forehand return sailed wide left.
Clijsters could surpass Wozniacki with a strong performance in Indian Wells. Clijsters was ranked 133rd in the world when she won in 2005.
She hit three aces, won six of nine break-point chances and won 65 percent of the total points against Kudryavtseva. Clijsters won the second set in a blistering 21 minutes.
Jankovic began her title defense in equally dominating fashion, hitting four aces and winning 80 percent (20 of 25) first-serve points.
She is trying to become the first woman since Martina Navratilova in 1990-1991 to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles.
“The last couple of weeks, I have been starting to feel confident in my game,” Jankovic said.
Jankovic moves on to the third round where she will play Julia Goerges of Germany, who beat Austria’s Sybille Bammer 6-1, 6-3.
In other key women’s matches, reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy dominated Zuzana Ondraskova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-0, while 12th seed Petra Kvitova lost 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 to fellow Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
In the men’s draw, Milos Raonic of Canada hammered 10 aces and used his thundering forehand to overpower Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) in his opening match.
“I feel good. I feel like I played a lot better today,” Raonic said. “My goal is to keep getting better and improving.”
Raonic unleashed a 238kph ace in the second game of the second set against Ilhan in front of a crowd of 5,000 on an outer court, but said he wasn’t entirely happy with the way he was serving.
“I didn’t feel like I served all that well today,” he said. “I have been working on improving my second serve.”
Raonic hit one second serve early in the match that kicked up so high Ilhan had to use an overhead smash to get it back.
Raonic advances to the second round, where he will face Mardy Fish of the US, whom Raonic beat last month in the ATP Memphis semi-finals before going on to lose to Andy Roddick in the final.
In other men’s matches, Igor Andreev of Russia defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, Australia’s Bernard Tomic outlasted Rohan Bopannna 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 and Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun defeated Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-3.
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