Kim Clijsters was relieved to get past the dangerous Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets at the Australian Open.
Makarova is a renowned giant-killer with thirteen victories over top twenty players and having already sent Ana Ivanovic packing in the opening round she clearly fancied her chances of taking down Clijsters.
The first set was extremely tight with Clijsters fighting tenaciously from the back of the court and Makarova looking to boss the rallies with her powerful array of shots. However the world number three's experience worked to her advantage as she edged it in a tiebreak before eventually pulling through 7-6, 6-2.
"I think she's a tricky player," Clijsters commented. "She's played very well this week. We don't play too many lefthanders and you really have to have a different mind-set when you play her, especially on the returns. But I played well. It was a fun match. She gives you a lot of rhythm - she's a good player."
Clijsters is hoping to win her first Grand Slam outside of New York and as a former finalist in Melbourne, she has the pedigree to go all the way. Next up she plays another dangerous left-hander in Petra Kvitova on Wednesday. Kvitova has a huge serve and forehand and has been playing with nothing to lose which makes her all the more dangerous.
