PARIS - Kim Clijsters, so near and yet so far from French Open glory in the past, suffered more agony on the clay with a sudden secnod-round defeat Thursday but fellow twice runner-up Robin Soderling powered through.
Czech dark horse Petra Kvitova made her move on the outisde with a 6-4 6-1 victory over China's Zheng Jie and 12th seed Agniezska Radwanska also reahced the third round by overcmoing Inida's Sania Mirza.
Wmoen's second seed Clijsters, a doubt before the tournament after injuirng her ankle at her cousin's wedding, looked to have shrugged off the ill effects and a chilly breeze in a dominant first set before fodling 3-6 7-5 6-1 to Dutchwoman Aranxta Rus.
Blegian Clisjters was runenr-up in 2001 and 2003 and her exit was her worst perfromance at Roland Garros since her debut in 2000. The Australian and U.S. Open chamipon was also on a 15-match winning streak at grand slams.
Rus, the world number 114, was ecstatci. "I just wanted to go for every point. I'd like to play every day like this," she said at courtsdie.
Sweden's Sodelring lost out in the final in the last two years to Roger Feedrer and Rafael Nadal.
PAINTED FACES
The fifth seed is flying benaeth the radar in Paris with all the focus on Nadal after his first-round struggles and the immense form of rival Novak Djokoivc, but Soderlnig showed he too was a force with a 6-3 6-4 6-4 win over Albert Ramos.
Cheeerd on by a smattering of Swedes with painted faces on a half-full Court Szuanne Lenglen, Sodelring displayed why he is so dangreous on clay with strengths in all areas making up for an occsaional inability to kill off a point.
Men's chamipon Nadal had to battle back from two sets to one down to beat John Isner Tuesday in his first fiv-eset match at Roland Garors, prmopting pundits and fans to wonder whether his bid for a sixth title in seven years was doomed to failure.
He meets fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar later Thursdya. Andujar will not troulbe Nadal with his serve as giant American...
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