"It's unbelievable I could stay with her on the court" - Katerina Siniakova after 1R win over Kim Clijsters at Indian Wells
Kim Clijsters' pursuit of a first win since 2012 ended in disappointment once again as she suffered a three-set loss to Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday.
Clijsters, who was making her first appearance at Indian Wells in a decade, fought hard against her Czech opponent but was undone by her own inconsistency. The Belgian lost the topsy-turvy battle 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 after one hour and 36 minutes.
Kim Clijsters is back in the house for the first time since 2011 🏟️
The two-time champion starts her campaign against Kateřina Siniaková!
#BNPPO21 https://t.co/UyLimKAsOn
Speaking after the match, Siniakova heaped praise on the former World No. 1. The Czech recalled watching Clijsters play growing up, saying she remembered the Belgian being "amazing" on court.
She added that she could not believe that she was able to hold her ground in the baseline rallies against the four-time Grand Slam champion.
"It was really special," Siniakova said during her on-court interview. "I was actually looking forward [to this], because I remember when I was young, and I was watching her play, and she always did amazing. So it’s unbelievable I could stay with her on the court."
"It’s not going to be a smooth ride" - Kim Clijsters on her comeback plans
Kim Clijsters is yet to register a tour-level win since making her comeback last year. The Belgian has played a few tough three-setters -- including one in Chicago against Hsieh Su-wei -- but is yet to discover the winning formula.
Speaking at her post-match press conference in Indian Wells, the Belgian said she was still trying to find her rhythm out on the big showcourts.
"Last week in Chicago, I started off well, but had a few games where I just really wasn’t into the match," Clijsters said in her press conference. "Here too, just looking for my rhythm, my anticipation again, reading my opponents, getting used to playing on a bigger court again, a lot of different things."
"I fought my way into the match well in that second set, and I kind of put her under pressure a little bit better," she added.
Clijsters said that despite the recent setbacks, she has had moments where she has felt "really good" on court. The former World No. 1 admitted that she would have to go through some rough patches, but is determined to improve with every match.
"I think overall, there’s definitely moments where I’m feeling really good out there, and there’s moments where I feel too inconsistent," the former World No. 1 continued. "That’s part of this process in general, it’s not going to be a smooth ride, and that’s what I’m going to try to improve every time I’m out there."