Kim Clijsters crashed out of the Den Bosch Open in the second round after a shock 7-6 6-3 defeat to Italian world No.82 Romina Oprandi.
Belgian in fitness race ahead of Wimbledon
World number two Kim Clijsters crashed out of the Den Bosch Open in the second round after a shock 7-6 6-3 defeat to Italian world No.82 Romina Oprandi.
Australian Open champion Clijsters, who also lost in the second round at Roland Garros, could only take one of four break points throughout the match, while Oprandi took advantage twice to seal the win in just over 90 minutes.
The top-seeded Clijsters skidded to the net and stumbled on the first point of the second game and appeared tentative throughout the match, although she did not call for any medical treatment.
However, she later revealed that she had re-injured the ankle that kept her sidelined before the French Open and her appearance at Wimbledon is not a formality.
"I'm going to have some more tests tonight or tomorrow morning and then I'll be able to give a more specific answer about the situation with my ankle," she said.
"I feel like I was hitting the ball very well in practice. I was moving well. I wasn't really worried too much.
"It's frustrating because something like this with my ankle has to happen, and it kind of puts me back to where I was a few weeks ago. But that's what an athlete has to deal with sometimes."
Drop shots
Oprandi played with her right knee and right arm heavily taped, but repeatedly surprised Clijsters with heavily sliced backhand drop-shot winners, many of them off Clijsters' serve.
Oprandi twice played drop-shot winners off Clijsters' serve as she broke in the fifth game of the first set. However, Clijsters rallied to break Oprandi back in the next game.
But the Italian retained her composure to hit two aces and another drop-shot winner to win the tiebreaker.
Oprandi again broke Clijsters in the second game of the second set and then held her serve to record her biggest career win.
"There is no bigger thing in tennis," Oprandi said after winning on the Rosmalen grass court. "It was a miracle.
"I think maybe she was not 100 per cent and I tried drop shots. It came out good for me."
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon semi-finalist Jelena Dokic of Australia overpowered Alla Kudryavtseva 6-0 6-4 in the first round, while Kimiko Date-Krumm beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-6 6-0 to set up a quarter-final with Oprandi.
