Hingis, Clijsters hit the clay running with quick-fire wins

By Bill Scott Jun 2, 2006, 13:23 GMT

Paris - High-flying Martina Hingis led Patty Schynder in a Swiss sweep into the third round of the 14.3-million-euro French Open Friday, with two-time finalist Kim Clijsters joining the winner's parade.

With sun finally shining at Roland Garros following days of rain and clouds, spirits lifted on the clay.

After getting free passes to leave on Thursday when weather again rewrote the playing schedule, the trio of European seeds returned a day later refreshed and eager to get on with the show.

Grand Slam champions Hingis and Clijsters made up for lost time, with number 12 Hingis, the winner of five majors as a teenager, hammering Czech Zuzana Ondraskova 6-1, 6-3.

Second seed Clijsters rolled past Conchita Martinez Granados of Spain 6-0, 6-3. Schnyder, the number 7, faced more of a struggle, but pulled though over Julia Vakulenko of the Ukraine 2-6, 7-5, 6-0.

'I really played very well, served well, moved well, everything,' said Hingis, never a champion in Paris. 'I don't know, it all is coming together again.'

'I just hope it's going to continue like that. I want to save the best for last,' added the 1999 losing finalist to Steffi Graf.

Russian eight seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, playing a round ahead, reached the fourth round as she put out one of two remaining Chinese hopes, defeating Na Li 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

The last Chinese was beaten in the second round, Jie Zheng going out to Croatian Ivana Lisjak 6-4, 6-4.

Clijsters, who struggled in the first round, had a wobble in the second set, losing serve to the 95th-ranked Martinez Granados in the fifth game.

But the Belgian second seed, the reigning US Open champion, broke back a game later before moving on to close out victory in 55 minutes.

'I wasn't patient enough,' said Clijsters. 'I wasn't making the right decisions at the right time I think in those few games.

'Lucky enough, when I was down 3-2, I broke back and I got my game back to where it should be. So I ended well - that's important.'

On the men's side, defending champion Rafael Nadal predictably steamrolled American lucky loser Kevin Kim 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in less than two hours.

The win was the Spaniard's record-setting 55th in succession,his first after breaking the old mark set in 1977 by Guillermo Vilas of 54 during the first round on Monday.

But eighth seed James Blake overturned the form guide with his comeback over young Spanish specialist Nicolas Almagro. Blake remains the lone American into the third round through his 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6- 4, 6-4 win.

He was joined by Spain's 15th seed David Ferrer, who defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

2004 champion Gaston Gaudio won a battle of former holders, defeating Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 winner, 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7).