Clijsters was stretched all the way by Golovin in Antwerp

In her first match since retiring in last month's Australian Open semi-final through injury, the top seed made 50 unforced errors in a 4-6 7-6 7-5 win.

"The crowd was probably the difference in the end I think," said the world number one.

"The crowd are a big help and support during the tie-break and in close games, and this was a very close game."

The Belgian faces a quarter-final clash with Russia's Dinara Safina.

Golovin admitted she was frustrated at not finishing off Clijsters when she had her chance.

"Of course I am disappointed - I was so close," she said.

"Kim was absolutely solid at decisive points and was playing very aggressive throughout."

Safina defeated Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 6-2 6-4 to ensure her showdown with Clijsters.

Third-seed Nadia Petrova also advanced to the last eight after beating Ana Ivanovic, of Serbia and Montenegro, 7-5 6-3.

Czech player Kveta Peschke beat Croatian qualifier Karolina Sprem 6-1 6-2 in a first-round match, but then withdrew with a wrist injury.