French Open 2011 Results, Day 3: Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka Sail Past First Round

French Open 2011 results from Day 3 at Roland Garrros, in which Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka saunter through to Round 2 with relative ease. No. 11 Nicolas Almagro, not so fast.

• No. 2 Kim Clijsters def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-2 6-3.
This match was perhaps a little closer than the score looks now, with Clijsters battling a string of unforced errors mid-second set on Court Suzanne Lenglen, but the defending U.S. and Aussie Open champ didn’t look like she’d only been back at practice for two weeks since coming out of injury rehab. She was asked to perhaps “bring back the Afro” in her post-match interview, and her hair has been getting a lot shorter lately, so look forward to relieved commentators having something to talk about with the World No. 2 besides her selfish desire to spend time with her family. Clijsters draws Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands in Round 2.

• No. 4 Victoria Azarenka def. Andrea Hlavackova, 6-3 6-3.
The women’s draw is famously wide-open this year, but the entire top five remains intact into the second round with this victory. Azarenka avenged last season’s first-round exit in little more than an hour. Her next opponent till be the winner of the Pauline Parmentier - Ksenia Pervak match.

• Lukasz Kubot def. No. 11 Nicolas Almagro, 3-6 2-6 7-6(3) 7-6(5) 6-4.
Now here’s a shock to the Spanish armada: Kubot is the proud holder of the World No. 122 ranking, and interrupted what would have been a lovely three-set stroll to pull off the second most lopsided upset of this year’s tournament. He’ll advance to face another bottom-feeder, Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, and will draw No. 20 Florian Mayer in Round 3, if he gets that far. Stranger things have happened.

In American news: Michael Russell took a set off No. 18 Gilles Simon on Court Philippe Chatrier, but couldn’t capitalize further. The Frenchman moves on, 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-0. Sloane Stephens put up a valiant first set but fell to Great Britain’s Elena Baltacha, 7-5 6-2. The sixth-ranked women’s doubles team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Victoria Larriere and Alize Lim of France, 6-2 6-1. And the fourth-ranked team of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond cruised past Ukraine’s Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-3 6-3.

Other seeded match results from Day 3 at Roland Garros:
• No. 15 Andrea Petkovic def. Bojana Jovanovski, 6-4 7-6(3).
• No. 21 Yanina Wickmayer def. Monica Niculescu, 6-0 6-3.
• No. 27 Alexandra Dulgheru def. Laura Pous-Tio, 6-3 6-4.

• No. 16 Fernando Verdasco def. Juan Monaco, 6-2 7-5 4-6 6-4.
• No. 20 Florian Mayer def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-3.
• No. 32 Kevin Anderson def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-4 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3.

Day 4 of the French Open 2011 begins play at 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday.