Update 12:30 am. Kim Clijsters has survived a free-swinging and scrambling Ana Ivanovic in three sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
The second-round blockbuster lived up to the hype with Clijsters recovering from a 3-0 deficit in the deciding set to storm home, taking the last six games for a topsy turvy 6-1 1-6 6-3 ledger.
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In a battle between two players Australians like to claim as their own, Ivanovic never really settled in a scrappy first set, handing it to Clijsters with a double fault in 22 minutes.
Having only ever taken one set off the Belgian in four previous attempts, the trend looked destined to continue for Ivanovic until she called for her coach before the commencement of the second set.
It proved a masterstroke as the statuesque Serb struck only three unforced errors in the second while upping the aggression to level the match at a set apiece.
The momentum continued in the third as Clijsters quickly found herself behind 3-0 and facing a breakpoint for 4-0.
After the match Clijsters admitted her unbeaten record against the former world No.1 spurred her on.
“I knew that if I could just give myself the opportunity to get back into the match and rally for it and not give her anything for free, she really had to go for the winners and dictate the points,” Clijsters said.
“Maybe there was a chance that she would kind of be in the same situation as in Miami (a match Clijsters won last year 7-6 in the third) where she started to make more unforced errors and her serve wasn’t quite as precise as it had been in the second, up until the middle of the third.
“I was able to get a better look on her second serve and try to dictate the point from there and really try to be aggressive into her backhand, which was kind of the plan before I went out there.”
Clijsters awaits the winner of the Sam Stosur–Iveta Benesova match today for a place in the semifinals.