KIM CLIJSTERS went about her business yesterday as though she was doing the household chores with her baby Jada. Busy. Efficient. A little spilt milk, no problem. Maria Elena Camerin was the player opposite with just too much on her plate, always reaching and invariably extended by most things Clijsters put back across the net to her, particularly in a hapless, first set. For almost every return from the Belgian, a frustrated Camerin was being forced to metaphorically clean up the spilled milk.
After 13 minutes Clijsters was 3-0 up; after 20 minutes it was 5-0 and through the Italian’s even tan you could see the red of her face puffing and venting heat and disappointment.
In matches like these you get the strong sense of how little players care for each other’s psychological well being or reputation on court and even the affable Clijsters, winner of last year’s US Open, was ruthless and unequivocal in the way she despatched the 121 ranked player in the world.
The first set was close to embarrassing for Camerin, with Clijsters’ flat forehands out wide crushing her 6-0.
In the second set the Italian stood up a little better, losing 6-3, leaving the outside court in not quite as bad shape as she had done in their last meeting at the 2004 Australian Open, where a double bagel 6-0, 6-0 was her lot.
“I was actually pretty nervous,” said Clijsters. “It was very tempting last year (to play) when they asked me if I wanted a wild card. I was excited to be out there on the new court two. Lucky the security guard knew where we were going because I had actually no idea.”
And of the foot problem that has hampered her play?
“No, nothing that bothers me,” she added.
In the normal run of things Francesca Schiavone going out in the first day on grass barely registers on the scale of first day shocks. But the French Open champion of three weeks ago was set up to power her way into the second week this year before Russia’s Vera Dushevina muscled up to win 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-1 and send the fifth seed on an unscheduled flight back to Italy.
The first Italian player, male or female, to win a Grand Slam event, Schiavone made it to the Wimbledon quarterfinal stage last year. Her 30th birthday tomorrow may not be celebrated as she would have wished. But at least she equals a record set by Jill Craybas as her one disappointing match on show court two was a 40th consecutive major appearance. There are no reports of an Italian fan breaching the locker room security to remonstrate about her performance.
The world number four, Jelena Jankovic, broke British hearts, although hardly unexpectedly, when she beat 16-year-old Laura Robinson. A wildcard invitation who won the girls’ title in 2008 and is ranked at 234 in the world, Robson was fiery and fearless but fell 6-3, 7-6(5).
“I thought it was going to a bit more overwhelming but the court isn’t as big as it looks on TV,” said the London teenager.
“I was a lot more nervous when I woke up – in a good way. When I got on court I was focused on not losing 6-0, 6-0 – so I think I did pretty well.”
Much has been made of the comeback of the two Belgian players. Clijsters retired to have a child and Henin through injury and a broken relationship, amongst other things. Twice a Wimbledon finalist, in 2001 and 2006, Henin joined her compatriot – well, Belgium are talking about dividing the country so that’s a flexible concept – after defeating Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-3.
All is good then in the Walloon- and French-speaking camps as well as in the American sector, last year’s finalist, Venus Williams, also a winner on her first day out.
