Clijster’s Comeback on Track, Ferrer Advances at Unicef Open

By Chris Oddo

Photo Credit: AFP

(June 19, 2012) -- David Ferrer avoided the mass exodus of seeds that has plagued the first round of the UNICEF Open at s'Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands on Tuesday.

Sixth-seeded Ferrer opened his grass-court campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Canadian qualifier Pierre-Ludovic Duclos. Ferrer, a former UNICEF Open champion (2008) won 19 of 31 points against the Canadian's second serve en route to the 92-minute triumph.

Ferrer will face Leonardo Mayer of Argentina in the second round.

Other seeds were not so lucky at s'Hertogenbosch. Second-seeded Viktor Troicki was blitzed by former Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse, 7-6(4), 6-2. Troicki did not have a look at a single break point and won only 17 of 44 points in a dismal second set against the 31-year-old Malisse.

All told, only three of the top eight seeds survived the first round.

Eighth-seeded Lukasz Kubot of Poland breezed past Dudi Sela of Israel 6-1, 6-2 to join Ferrer and Jurgen Melzer as seeds to advance.

Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France defeated seventh-seeded Alexander Bogomolov Jr. of Russia 6-4, 6-4. Bogomolov's 2012 record drops to 9-18 with the loss.

Clijsters Improves in Her Second Match Back from Injury

Kim Clijsters, playing her first tennis since the Sony Ericsson Open in late March, appears to be rounding into form again. Plagued by left hip, left ankle, and right hip issues for much of the year, Clijsters reached the quarterfinals with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Kateryna Bondarenko today. Clijsters, who spenT the downtime rehabbing her various injuries and growing leeks, radishes and cabbage in her new garden, needed only 67 minutes to dispatch Bondarenko and didn't yield a break of serve all afternoon.

The 29-year-old Belgian, who plans to officially retire after the U.S. Open, will face either Francesca Schiavone or Irina-Camelia Begu next.

Third-seeded Dominika Cibulkova and eighth-seeded Nadia Petrova were also second-round winners today, while fourth-seeded Flavia Pennetta was upset by Urszula Radwanska.

In first-round play, seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic was upset by Sofia Arvidsson in three sets.