Clijsters' comeback rolls on at U.S. Open

NEW YORK, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Former world number one Kim Clijsters continued her impressive Grand Slam comeback with a 5-7 6-1 6-2 victory over French 14th seed Marion Bartoli in the second round of the U.S. Open.

Kim Clijsters of Belgium celebrates her victory against Marion Bartoli of France at the U.S. Open tennis  tournament in New York, Sept. 2, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The Belgian, in just her third event since returning to the tour after two years away, hit back superbly to romp through the second and third sets for victory in one hour, 54 minutes.

Clijsters, who gave birth to her first child just 18 months ago,set up a clash with another Belgian, Kirsten Flipkens who beat 20th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1 6-3.

Holder Serena Williams brushed aside Hungarian left-hander Melinda Czink 6-1 6-1 in her second round match, while former world number one Amelie Mauresmo suffered her earliest ever loss at the U.S. Open as she was beaten 6-4 6-0 in the second round by Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak.

It is the first time Mauresmo has gone out of the U.S. Open before the third round in 10 appearances.

Wozniak will now play 10th seed Flavia Pennetta after the Italian whitewashed Sania Mirza of India 6-0 6-0.

Pennetta, the first Italian woman to reach the world's top 10, raced to victory in just 50 minutes.

Third seed Venus Williams shrugged off continuing knee trouble to beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 6-2 to reach the third round.

The twice champion wore heavy strapping on her left knee but her movement improved as the match wore on and she clinched victory after 91 minutes.

World number 124 Mattek-Sands took a set off Williams at the French Open earlier this year but from 3-3 in the first set, the third seed took control.

A break in the first game of the second set put her on her way again and she eased through to a clash with WTA Birmingham champion Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia who beat Chang Kai-Chen of Chinese Taipei 4-6 6-2 6-2.

Other leading seeds to make it through from the second round were eighth-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who coasted past Barbora Zahlavova Strykova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1, and seventh-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, who hit back to defeat compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 3-6 6-1 6-1.

China's Li Na, the 18th seed and a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, kept her cool against tempestuous Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito to win 6-1 6-3.

Some seeds did bow out however, 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was beaten 6-4 2-6 6-4 by Maria Kirilenko of Russia, while Australia's Samantha Stosur, the 15th seed, was defeated in straight sets by America's Vania King 7-5 6-4.