Clijsters the latest victim as injuries take toll on women

After marvelling at Kim Clijsters' resilience at the French Open last year, when she pushed Jennifer Capriati in the longest third set of a women's singles final at Roland Garros before finally losing it 12-10, it was troubling to see the 18-year-old Belgian's feeble display here yesterday.

The fourth seed barely had the energy to put the ball into court in losing her third-round match against Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina, 6-4, 6-0.

Clijsters, who has been hampered by an injury to her upper right arm this season, said she did not experience pain yesterday but her whole body felt weary, probably as a consequence of having had to struggle through her two previous matches. After being taken to three sets in the first round by Tatiana Poutchek, of Belarus, Clijsters was asked about the growing problem of injuries in the women's game.

"You have to see the type of tennis we play. Like Serena and Venus [Williams], and Jennifer [Capriati], there's always a little problem. I don't think tough sport is healthy. Those names I mentioned, we all play tennis at a very high level. We put a lot of power and aggression into every shot, into the movement and everything. That will take a lot more out of us than other players."

Among the current high-profile patients, Lindsay Davenport, the tall and powerful former Wimbledon and US Open champion, is rehabilitating after a knee injury, and Martina Hingis, the winner of every Grand Slam singles title except the French, is recovering from ankle surgery. Hingis, who joined the WTA Tour at 14, is a sublime touch player who has been overwhelmed by the bigger hitters.

"Everyone plays with pain," Capriati said on the eve of the defence of her title. The 26-year-old American, who made her professional debut days before her 14th birthday, added: "There's always some pain, but not to the point where I can't play. Fitness is part of why I've had no major injuries. But that's sport in general, not just tennis. Everything has become more powerful. That's the nature of the game now."

Mary Pierce, the champion in 2000, was unable to defend the title last year. After advancing to the third round on Thursday, she was asked to list her injuries over the past two years. Taking a deep breath, she said: "Right shoulder, back, ischial muscle, ankle problems, and relegation of the abdominal muscle. But it's part of the sport. I am trying to be very healthy, to take care of myself and do all the proper training."

Justine Henin, runner-up to Venus Williams at Wimbledon last July after losing to her compatriot Clijsters in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, was eliminated in the first round this week by Aniko Kapros, a Greek qualifier. Henin, clearly debilitated by a bout of flu, was unwise to have played.

Monica Seles, an elder stateswoman of the sport at 28, said: "I have younger players coming up to me who have been on the tour a few years and they're really dead tired. Lindsay and Martina have had some serious surgeries, and I think the tour will have to look at that, because they're really young players.

"It's a gruelling schedule. In the early days, I think it was very different than it is now. Hopefully, the tour will look into that and make some adjustments. It's their job to find a balance to protect the players without cutting out all the tournaments that stuck with us when women's tennis wasn't as popular as it is now."

Clijsters will at least be able to cheer for her boyfriend, Lleyton Hewitt, the Australian world No 1, who advanced to the last 16 of the men's singles with a 6-1, 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 win against the Dutchman Sjeng Schalken.

Hewitt next plays Guillermo Canas, of Argentina, the No 15 seed, who overcame Carlos Moya, of Spain, the 1998 champion, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2.

Court One was evacuated for 30 minutes before the Canas-Moya match while a bomb squad carried out a controlled explosion on an unattended briefcase.

When the spectators returned they saw a hugely entertaining contest, highlighted by a winning lob by Moya played from behind his back. Ole, then au revoir.