 Kim Clijsters is engaged to Australian star Lleyton Hewitt |
Kim Clijsters made it into round two of the Australian Open with a 6-3 6-2 win over Marlene Weingaertner. But the Belgian looked a little rusty from the twisted ankle that forced her to pull out of last month's Hopman Cup.
The world number two committed 27 unforced errors and five double faults but was still too good for the German.
Clijsters will next play Maria Elena Camerin after the Italian trounced Milagros Sequera of Venezuela 6-2 6-2 in her first-round match.
Clijsters said afterwards she had feared she would be ruled out of the season's first Grand Slam and was pleased to have felt no adverse reaction to her injury.
 |  The injury is not healed and it's not going to go away - I just have to see now how it feels tomorrow |
"I was happy to be out there and I didn't feel anything with my ankle, which was great," Clijsters said. "I felt like I was hitting the ball very well and even though there were a few moments where my footwork was not its best, I can't really ask for more than that.
"When I hurt the ankle again last week in Sydney in training, I thought that was a bad sign.
"I had a lot of physio just to make it better. The injury is not healed and it's not going to go away. I just have to see now how it feels tomorrow."
The 20-year-old, the fiance of Australian favourite Lleyton Hewitt, enjoys huge support Down Under and was greeted on the Rod Laver Arena by a banner hailing her as "Aussie Kim".
MMIX
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