Clijsters makes winning return after long layoff

HASSELT, Belgium (AP) -- Former top-ranked player Kim Clijsters made a winning return to the tour Wednesday, shaking off five months of rustiness to beat Iveta Benesova 7-6 (3), 6-2 and moving into the quarterfinals of the Gaz de France Stars tournament.

After an injured left wrist sidelined her since May, Clijsters struggled at first against the 37th-ranked Benesova and needed to rely on her experience to take the first set.

Backed by a boisterous home crowd, though, the second-seeded Clijsters then streaked through, allowing the Czech just one game in the second set.

In other second-round action, Czech Denisa Chladkova upset sixth-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy 6-0, 6-2. Joining her in Friday's round of eight was Virginia Ruano Pascual, who beat Spanish compatriot Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 6-4, 6-3.

Currently ranked seventh in the world, Clijsters is not even the top seed in the inaugural Gaz de France Stars near her Bree home in eastern Belgium. That honor went to U.S. Open finalist Elena Dementieva of Russia, who opens her play Thursday.

In a first-round match, fourth-seeded Karolina Sprem of Croatia struggled to get past Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues, coming from behind to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Chladkova, ranked 62nd, played well above that level as she put Farina Elia, ranked 40 places ahead of her, under pressure from the start. The Italian was at 2-2 in the second set, but the Czech overpowered her for the rest of the lopsided match.