PARIS (Reuters) - World number two Kim Clijsters avoided any mishaps in a 6-2 6-3 first-round win over Belarussian Anastasiya Yakimova as she made her return to the French Open after a five-year absence Tuesday.
The Belgian, who had been out for two months after a series of injuries including an ankle problem sustained while dancing at her cousin's wedding, proved her fitness by dismissing the world number 100 in 80 minutes.
Clijsters, who took a 1-1/2-year break from the sport, won on her fourth match point when Yakimova sent a forehand into the net and now faces Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.
Although the Belgian's build-up to the claycourt grand slam was hampered by the dance incident, Clijsters was delighted to be back at Roland Garros and would not have missed it.
"That's one of the reasons why after Miami I took a little bit of a break, but (thought) always in mind, okay, I'm going to go and prepare myself," she told reporters.
"I'll take a couple of weeks off, 10 days off. I'll work out still and everything, kind of already with my mindset on the clay court season."
Clijsters said she was satisfied with her game even if there was room for improvement.
"I felt that I was moving aggressively but didn't always, you know, go to the lines as much as I would like to," she said.
"I was trying, but I was kind of just not on target as much as I would like to be."
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Martyn Herman and Ken Ferris)
