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NEW YORK: Defending champion Kim Clijsters reached the third round of the US Open on Wednesday by defeating Sally Peers of Australia 6-3, 6-1.
The Belgian second seed will play 27th seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic for a place in the fourth round after she defeated Britain's Elena Baltacha 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
It was a routine victory for Clijsters, her 16th in a row at Flushing Meadows, against the promising 19-year-old from Melbourne, who came through qualifying to gain entry to her first Grand Slam tournament.
The defending champion jumped out into a 2-0 lead, but some poor serving allowed Peers to break back in the third game.
Another exchange of breaks saw Clijsters leading 3-2, but the 27-year-old two-time former champion broke for the third consecutive time and then held to take command of the set, which she sealed in 32 minutes.
Clijsters moved into cruise control, running away with the second set for the loss of just one game.
"I just had to find my footing again with the wind, but as the match got going I started to read her game better and I started to play better," she said.
"But I still have a little bit to go to play my best tennis out there."
-AFP/wk
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