Kim Clijsters in Stanford on Wednesday. (AP)

Stanford: Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek of the US defeated Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine to move into the doubles second round of the $600,000 WTA Standford Open on Wednesday.

Mirza and Mattek registered a 6-1, 6-3 win in the Tier II event.

The Indo-US duo is next up against giant-killers Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and the US-based Indian Shikha Uberoi who overwhelmed top seeds Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-3, 6-4. Sania had reached the doubles final with Poland’s Marta Domashowska in Cincinnati last week to each a career-best 31st ranking.

In singles, three-time champion Kim Clijsters battled past Jankovic 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round.

The top seed was joined in the quarter finals by French teenager Tatiana Golovin who enjoyed a 6-2, 6-3 upset win over sixth-seeded Sugiyama, and Australian Samantha Stosur who toppled seventh seed Shahar Peer of Israel 7-5, 6-3.

Russian Vera Zvonareva won a repeat of last week’s Cincinnati final by taking down eighth seed Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-3. She will next meet experienced Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, who overcame Italy’s Maria Elena Camerin 0-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Playing her first match since leading Belgium to a Fed Cup semi-final victory over the US, Clijsters produced erratic tennis but wore down the hard-hitting Jankovic in long rallies.

After blowing a 5-3 lead in the first set, the US Open champion jumped on her opponent in the second, hammering her forehand and mixing up balls from her backhand side. Clijsters saved three break points early in the third set and broke the 27th-ranked Jankovic to 4-2 when her opponent doubled faulted.

Clijsters fought off four break points in the next game and after Jankovic lost a video replay challenge on game point, she collapsed, losing the match in the next game on a backhand error.

(Agencies)