PARIS — After losing two match points in the second set and feeling her confidence fading, Kim Clijsters watched the match slip away Thursday at the French Open.
The two-time French Open runner-up, seeded second at this year’s tournament, lost to the 114th-ranked Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
“I started doubting a little bit,” said Clijsters, who played only her second match in two months because of shoulder and ankle injuries. “When you start doubting yourself on any surface, but for me definitely on clay, it’s the wrong attitude to have.”
Maria Sharapova also struggled, but the seventh-seeded Russian won 11 straight games after trailing 4-1 in the second set and beat 17-year-old Caroline Garcia of France, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. No. 4 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, No. 6 Li Na of China and No. 9 Petra Kvitova also won.
Five-time champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray, two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling and No. 10 Mardy Fish of the U.S. reached the third round, but No. 8 Jurgen Melzer of Austria lost in five sets to Czech qualifier Lukas Rosol.
Two days after Nadal was pushed to five sets for the first time at Roland Garros, the top-ranked Spaniard won in three, beating Pablo Andujar of Spain, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Nadal trailed 5-1 in the third set but forced the tiebreaker.
“Probably, I am playing a little bit nervous,” he said.
Nadal will face Antonio Veic of Croatia, who beat No. 28 Nikolay Davydenko, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.
Clijsters, who had won her last 15 Grand Slam matches after taking the titles at last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open, failed to convert either match point in the second set.
Playing with her right ankle taped, the Belgian made 65 unforced errors in the match and lost 11 of the final 12 games. Rus finished with only 22 unforced errors and had only eight winners.
Clijsters pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament in March because of shoulder and wrist injuries. Then she injured her right ankle while dancing at her cousin’s wedding.
Clijsters had her first chance to close out the match against the Dutchwoman when leading 5-2 in the second set, but Rus saved the match point and held to make it 5-3 before breaking Clijsters to get back on serve.
“At 6-5 I had a really good serve game, and then I won the set. Then I was thinking, ‘Yeah, I can win this match,’ ” Rus said.
A few hours later, Sharapova was at first outplayed by Garcia, a French wild card who was the youngest woman remaining in the draw.
“She played unbelievable in the first set and a half,” Sharapova said. “There wasn’t much I could do.”
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