Clijsters returns with French Open win

PARIS, May 24 (UPI) -- Kim Clijsters ended an injury-related layoff with a straight-set win Tuesday in first-round play at the French Open.

Clijsters defeated Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 6-3 but did show some effects of the layoff. She hadn't played since March, missing the bulk of the clay-court season due to shoulder, wrist and ankle injuries.

She piled up six service breaks but three of Yakimova's five game wins were also breaks. Clijsters, who fought off nine break points, made 29 unforced errors.

No. 4-seeded Victoria Azarenka had no problem in her 6-3, 6-3 win over Andrea Hlavackova, converting all six of the break-point chances she created. Sixth-seeded Li Na edged past Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3; No. 7-seeded Maria Sharapova rolled through a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Mirjana Lucic in 56 minutes.

Also, 15th-seeded Andrea Petkovic finished off the 64-match first round with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Bojana Jovanovski.

Johanna Larsson eliminated 20th-seeded Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (7-3), 0-6, 6-2 by getting all three of her service breaks in the third set.

Other seeded players headed to the second round included 21st-seeded Yanina Wickmayer, No. 24 Jarmila Gajdosova and 27th-seeded Alexandra Dulgheru.

Unseeded players through to the second round included Caroline Garcia, Vania King, Parmentier Lucie Hradecka, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Silvia Soler-Espinosa, Arantxa Rus, Elena Baltacha, Sorana Cirstea, Ayumi Morita and Ekaterina Makarova.