By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday March 3, 2020

Johanna Konta didn’t know that she’d ever get the chance to face Kim Clijsters in her career, but the Brit found herself across the net from the four-time major champion in just the second match of Clijsters' comeback from a seven and a half absence on tour on Tuesday in Monterrey.



She made the most of her opportunity.

There were moments of magic from Clijsters on Tuesday at the Abierto GNP Seguros, but ultimately it was Konta who made the most of a special occasion and came through with an impressive 6-3 7-5 win for her first victory in 2020.

Clijsters drops to 0-2 and has yet to win a set since her comeback began two weeks ago in Dubai with a loss to Garbine Muguruza.

“It’s my first one of the year, so it’s something that is always going to be special in any season so I’m just really pleased, first of all, to have come through a tough match,” Konta said on court after the victory after improving to 1-3 and setting up a second-rounder with Tatjana Maria of Germany.

Konta, who missed the final four months of 2020 in order to rehab a knee injury, hasn’t exactly hit the ground running this season. The 28-year-old has fallen to Barbora Strycova, Ons Jabeur and Oceane Dodin in her first three matches of the season but she found her first-strike tennis tonight early and often to power past the 36-year-old in an hour and 25 minutes.

Konta was lethal on her first serve, hitting the box with her first serve 83 percent of the time, and she dropped just 12 points on serve in total and never faced a break point.

She broke critically for 4-3 in the opening set and ran out the final four games to take a one set to love lead.

The second set was tight through the first ten games with Clijsters staying on serve at 5-all but Konta held to love for a second consecutive service game for 6-5 and promptly ended the contest with a break when a Clijsters’ forehand drifted long on Konta’s second match point.

“As a young player I never thought that I’d get to play Kim Clijsters in my career, I feel truly privileged and honored to share the court with such a champion,” Konta said. “It’s nice to have her back.”

Azarenka Bounced by Zidansek

Another player hoping to get on the comeback trail was swept out in first round action, as Victoria Azarenka fell to Tamara Zidansek 6-2 6-2 in her first match of 2020. The Slovenian raced out to leads of 5-1 in the opener and 3-0 in the second set, and a rusty Azarenka, seeded seventhn and playing in her first match since the 2019 US Open, was out of answers when it came to catching up.

The current World No.56 won less than half of her service points and was broken five times in eight service games on the evening against Zidansek.

"It's great to play against Victoria, someone who has been World No.1," Zidansek said after the match. "It's a special feeling, and I'm really happy with the way I played today. I prepared well and I'm happy with the outcome."

In other action on a busty Tuesday in Monterrey, top-seeded Elina Svitolina fought past Danka Kovinic 6-3 6-2 while 17-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez continued her winning ways with a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland.