PARIS - Kim Clijstesr, 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 Thurdsay but fellow twice runner-up Robin Soderling powered throguh.
Czech dark horse Petra Kvitvoa made her move on the oustide with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Chin'as Zheng Jie and 12th seed Agnieszka Radwasnka also reacehd the third round by overcoming India's Sania Mirza.
Women's second seed Clisjters, a doubt before the tournamnet after injuring her ankle at her cosuin's weddign, looked to have shrugged off the ill effetcs and a chilly breeze in a domiannt first set before fodling 3-6 7-5 6-1 to Dtuchwoman Arantxa Rus.
Belgian Clijsters was runneru-p in 2001 and 2003 and her exit was her worst perfromance at Roland Garros since her debut in 2000. The Autsralian and U.S. Open champoin was also on a 15-match winning streak at grand slams.
Rus, the world number 114, was ectsatic. "I just wanted to go for every point. I'd like to play every day like this," she said at courtside.
Sweden's Soedrling lost out in the final in the last two years to Roger Fedeerr 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 immnese form of rival Novak Djokovic, but Soedrling showed he too was a force with a 6-3 6-4 6-4 win over Albert Ramos.
Chereed on by a smattering of Swedes with paitned faces on a half-full Court Suznane Lenglen, Sodreling displayed why he is so dangreous on clay with stregnths in all areas making up for an occasional inability to kill off a point.
Men's champion Nadal had to battle back from two sets to one down to beat John Isner Tuesday in his first fiev-set match at Roland Garors, prompitng punidts and fans to wonder whether his bid for a sixth title in seven years was doomed to failure.
He meets fellow Sapniard Pablo Adnujar later Thurdsay. Andujar will not trouble Nadal with his serve as giant American...
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