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Clijsters struggles to hard-fought Marbella win

Kim Clijsters won the Sony Ericsson Open at the weekend © Getty Images

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Kim Clijsters celebrated her return to the world's top ten by booking her place in the second round of the Andalucia Open with a 6-4 6-7(1) 6-2 win against Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru.

World No. 10 Clijsters did not exhibit the level of form that has seen her win two titles this year - including the Sony Ericsson Open last weekend - as Dulgheru pushed her all the way in a protracted encounter.

Belgium's Clijsters was able to disrupt her opponent's service game, however, winning nearly half of the points available on the Dulgheru first serve. She would claim seven breaks across the three sets, enough to see her over the finishing line after 130 minutes of action.

Next up for Clijsters is Spain's Beatriz Garcia Vidagany, the world No. 258.

Fourth seed Aravane Rezai of France was sent tumbling out at the second-round stage by Germany's Tatjana Malik, who has emerged victorious on each of the three occasions she has faced Rezai.

Her victory in Marbella was largely as a result of her decision to attack Rezai's second serve. Malik, who claimed four breaks in the match, won over half the points on offer from her opponent's second delivery.

No. 2 seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy claimed her 15th victory of the year with a dominant performance against Yaroslava Shvedova in their first round match. Pennetta won 67% of the points on her Kazak opponent's first serve, deploying an ultra-aggressive strategy in her 6-1 6-3 win.

Rounding out the second-round action saw fifth seed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain was similarly dominant, losing just two games as she thrashed Italy's Alberta Brianti 6-0 6-2.

Meanwhile at the MPS Group Championships at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Caroline Woniacki led the big seeds through to the third round on a day devoid of upsets.

World No.2 Wozniacki overcame Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-3 6-1, while third-seed Dominika Cibulkova also cruised through with a 6-3 6-3 triumph against Alla Kudryavtseva.

No. 5 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and No. 6 Aleksandra Wozniak didn't have things so easy but both women progressed, beating Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Ayumi Morita respectively in three-setters.

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