French Open: Kim Clijsters stunned by Arantxa Rus

French Open

• Venue: Roland Garros, Paris
• Date: 22 May-5 June
• Coverage: Watch live on BBC Red Button/online (UK only) & text commentary (#bbctennis) on BBC Sport website from 1000 BST; daily highlights programme on BBC Two; updates & commentary on BBC Radio 5 live/5 live sports extra

Clijsters was playing on the Roland Garros clay for the first time in five years

World number two Kim Clijsters crashed out of the French Open with a shock second-round defeat by Arantxa Rus.

Playing her first event since March due to injury, the 27-year-old Belgian lost 3-6 7-5 6-1 in 122 minutes.
Clijsters, a two-time Roland Garros runner-up, wasted two match points as her Dutch opponent came from 5-2 down in the second set to force a decider.
World number 114 Rus took 11 games of the last 12 games to triumph and she next plays Maria Kirilenko of Russia.
Despite her lack of practice on clay in the run-up to Roland Garros, Clijsters did not regret appearing in this year's tournament.
"I had practised well. Physically everything was fine. I was definitely ready," said the reigning Australian Open champion, who was suffering from a shoulder problem before damaging and ankle while dancing at a cousin's wedding.
"I'm happy that I gave myself an opportunity. It's better to try than not to try. If I had said: 'It's better not to come', that would be the attitude of a real loser."
Clijsters, also the defending US Open champion, had not appeared at Roland Garros since her semi-final defeat by Justine Henin in 2006 and she won will not reflect too happily on the two matches she has played this week in Paris.
Given her lack of competitive preparation, rustiness and a lack of sharpness was perhaps inevitable but such a collapse after leading 3-0 in the second set will not sit comfortably with the four-time Grand Slam winner.

Kim Clijsters

The last time she had not failed to make round three at Roland Garros was 2000. The last time she did not reach round three in a Grand Slam was at Wimbledon in 2002.
The Belgian raced 3-0 ahead in sets one and two, with Rus hitting back on both occasions.
But having been overpowered in set one, the 22-year-old's recovery in set two was the start of Clijsters' demise.
Clijsters, the beaten finalist in 2001 and 2003, twice stood on the verge of victory but after losing a fifth successive game, which took the match into a decider, worse was to follow.
While game one of the third set went the way of Clijsters, her performance became error-strewn and after Rus broke to lead 2-1, she swiftly powered on to secure a famous win.
"I just wanted to go for every point. I'd like to play every day like this," said Rus, who had only previously won one match this year.
"It was my biggest win. She is my hero. I played fantastic tennis. I was a little nervous as it was my first time on the stadium. When I faced match points, I thought 'just go for it'. I was more aggressive in the second set."
The 65 unforced errors will not make good reading for Clijsters, although over time she may be able to smile at one extraordinary shot when trailing 0-40 and 2-1 in the third set.
A forehand was blasted back from the baseline, the ball hit the tape and jumped four feet to the left, it then clipped the top of the post and bounced back into the court for an incredible piece of good fortune. A very small piece of consolation.
Regarding her physical state, Clijsters added: "The ankle is fine. It had nothing to do with it. I am still trying to find out what happened. I felt in control, she was missing a lot in the rallies and I was moving well.
"Then I started doubting myself and that's the wrong attitude to have on clay. She built up more confidence and put me on the back foot."
Next up for Rus is 25th seed Kirilenko after she beat Chanelle Scheepers 6-1 6-4.
Elsewhere, sixth seed Li Na advanced with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Silvia Soler-Espinosa and ninth seed Petra Kvitova brushed aside Jie Zheng 6-4 6-1.
Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded 12th, was similarly untroubled against Sania Mirza and 15th seed Andrea Petkovic overcame Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.
The other seeds to progress were Yanina Wickmayer, Alexandra Dulgheru and Roberta Vinci.