DEN BOSCH, NETHERLANDS (AP) - Kim Clijsters is in doubt for Wimbledon after aggravating an ankle injury during a 7-6 (5), 6-3 loss to Italy’s Romina Oprandi at the Unicef Open.
Clijsters said she would return home to Belgium and seek medical advice before deciding whether to play at Wimbledon, saying “it depends on results from the hospital.”
The top-seeded Clijsters skidded to the net Tuesday and stumbled on the first point of the second game in the second-round match. She did not call for medical treatment. Clijsters said she hoped the pain would subside, but it didn’t.
The Belgian initially hurt her ankle dancing at her cousin’s wedding in April. The ankle was taped for her brief run at the French Open, where she also lost in the second round
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
DEN BOSCH, Netherlands (AP) _ Second-ranked Kim Clijsters lost in the second round of the Unicef Open on Tuesday, falling 7-6 (5), 6-3 to Romina Oprandi of Italy for a premature end to her Wimbledon preparations.
“There is no bigger thing in tennis,” the 82nd-ranked Oprandi said of her victory on the grass court. “It was a miracle.”
In the men’s competition, third-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium beat Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-1 in their first round match and will face Dutch wild card Jesse Huta Galung.
The top-seeded Clijsters skidded to the net and stumbled on the first point of the second game. She appeared tentative throughout the match, although she did not call for medical treatment.
Oprandi played with her right knee and arm heavily taped. She repeatedly surprised Clijsters with heavily sliced backhand drop shot winners, many of them off Clijsters’ serve.
“I think maybe she was not 100 percent, and I tried drop shots,” Oprandi said of her winning tactic. “It came out good for me.”
It was Clijsters’ second straight second-round exit, after losing to Arantxa Rus in the French Open.
The Belgian started the year by winning the Australian Open for her fourth Grand Slam title, but has struggled in recent weeks.
She overexerted her right shoulder and wrist during a busy spring schedule, then compounded her problems by injuring her right ankle while dancing at her cousin’s wedding in April. She had the ankle taped for her brief run at the French Open.
Oprandi twice played drop shot winners off Clijsters’ serve as she broke in the fifth game of the first set. However, Clijsters rallied to break Oprandi back in the next game.
But the Italian retained her composure to hit two aces and another drop shot winner to win the tiebreaker.
Oprandi again broke Clijsters in the second game of the second set and held her serve to record her biggest career win.
Jelena Dokic of Australia overpowered Alla Kudryavtseva 6-0, 6-4, while Kimiko Date-Krumm beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-6 (3), 6-0 to set up a quarterfinal with Oprandi.
Clijsters’ defeat means the top seeds in the men’s and women’s draw have both been knocked out. Michel Berrer of Germany beat Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a first-round match on Monday.
Huta Galung edged Julian Reister of Germany 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. Also, fifth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen beat Maximo Gonzalez 7-5, 6-1.
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