Defending champion Kim Clijsters will face Daniela Hantuchova in round three of the 2012 Australian OpenYou can watch and bet on Clijsters v Hantuchova live for free at bet365 > live tennisKim Clijsters is scheduled to take on Daniela Hantuchova on Friday in the third round of this year’s Australian Open, after thrashing Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-0, 6-1 in less than an hour. The Belgian had a 9-0 head to head record against Hantuchova prior to this season, though had to concede defeat against her in Brisbane earlier this month due to injury.
Speaking about her injuries and this being the last year of her career, Clijsters remarked, “I’m not here because it might be the last time I’m going to be in Melbourne, and I want to go visit the penguins. I’m here with my focus on tennis 100 percent.”
“I’ll be honest, there were definitely moments last year where I felt like I’m not even going to last until the Olympics,” said Clijsters. “There were moments I felt like maybe I need to listen to my body and say, ‘Look, I’ve had a great comeback and maybe this is it for me.’ I’ve had those questions going through my head, but every time there was something after a couple of days of just letting all those emotions take their place. I always felt like, ‘No, this is not how I would like to end my career.’”
Injury could be an issue for Clijsters in Melbourne, but if she can stay fit her chances of retaining the title will be fairly decent. She remains one of the biggest hitters on the tour, but possesses plenty of guile and graceful movement. Hantuchova will have to be on song to come close to clawing back another win against the Belgian.
