TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS:THE REIGNING US Open champion Kim Clijsters had a night to forget as she crashed out of the Australian Open yesterday. The 26-year-old Belgian suffered the worst loss of her professional career as she was thrashed 6-0, 6-1 by 19th seed Nadia Petrova under the lights of the Hisense Arena.

There was better news for Clijsters’s country women Justin Henin and Yanina Wickmayer, who both secured victories to set up an all-Belgian fourth-round tie.

Last year’s finalist Dinara Safina was a straight-sets winner over Elena Baltacha while third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova had to come from a set down to beat unseeded German Angelique Kerber in a match that finished at 1.45am local time.

Eighth-seed Jelena Jankovic also crashed out of the women’s draw when she lost to Alona Bondarenko, but the biggest surprise of the day was Clijsters’s capitulation against Petrova.

The Russian took just 18 minutes to claim the opening set and a shell-shocked Clijsters never recovered.

“This is something probably you want to forget as soon as possible and go home,” the 15th seed said. “I was just questioning myself, just questioning myself out there a lot.”

Henin fought back from a set and a break down against 27th seed Alisa Kleybanova to keep alive her bid to win a grand slam just a month after returning from retirement.

The seven-time grand slam winner won 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 20 minutes.

Wickmayer defeated Sara Errani 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 to continue her remarkable run after the world number 16 was forced to come through qualifying because a ban imposed for failing to comply with doping rules was not lifted in time for direct entry into the main draw.

Bondarenko claimed the biggest scalp in terms of seeding so far when she beat Jankovic 6-2, 6-3.

Last year’s runner-up Safina laid to rest some of the demons of her final embarrassment to Serena Williams on Rod Laver Arena.

The Russian stepped out on centre court for the first time since that 6-0, 6-3 humbling and routed Baltacha 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour to continue her rapid progress through the early rounds.

Safina will play fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko in the last 16 after she defeated Roberta Vinci 7-5, 7-6 (7/4). Kirilenko knocked out 2008 winner Maria Sharapova in the opening round and her win today ensured she equalled her best result at a major.

Meanwhile, defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal endured a nervous night before eventually fending off the persistent challenge of Philipp Kohlschreiber in four sets.

The Spanish second seed was below his best against the 27th-ranked German whose heavy hitting, especially off the backhand side, caused Nadal problems all night.

In the end Nadal simply took his opportunities better to win 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in three hours and 39 minutes, but admitted afterwards he was disappointed with his display.

“The most important thing is I won, so I am happy for that,” he said. “I am less happy about my game, what I was practising but everybody has a not very good day. I think I played much better in the fourth set than the rest of the sets.

“I need to play a little bit more aggressively for next matches.”

The left-hander will play big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic in the next round after he defeated countryman and 24th seed Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/9).

Reigning US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro was also forced to battle as he edged past unseeded German Florian Mayer 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The Argentinian will face a seed for the first time in the fourth round where Marin Cilic awaits after he recovered from losing the first set to 19th seed Stanislas Wawrinka and win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Fifth seed Andy Murray continued his march through the early rounds with a trouble-free 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 win over 64th-ranked Florent Serra.

Murray is yet to meet a player inside the top 50 and has coasted through the opening week.

“I’m happy to have won in three sets in all of the matches,” he said, “I’m happy to save as much energy as possible.”

American John Isner upset 12th seed Gael Monfils 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) and he will play Murray in the fourth round.

Isner joined countryman Andy Roddick in the last 16 after the former world number one came from a set down to edge a match with Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

Roddick’s next match is against 11th seed Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 runner-up, who needed five sets to beat Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Yesterday's Results

MEN'S SINGLES:Third round: (5) Andy Murray (Gbr) bt Florent Serra (Fra) 7-5 6-1 6-4, (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt (27) Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) 6-4 6-2 2-6 7-5, (14) Marin Cilic (Cro) bt (19) Stanislas Wawrinka (Swi) 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-3, (7) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spa) 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3), (4) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt Florian Mayer (Ger) 6-3 0-6 6-4 7-5, (33) John Isner (USA) bt (12) Gael Monfils (Fra) 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5), (11) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Evgeny Korolev (Rus) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 1-6 6-3 6-4, Ivo Karlovic (Cro) bt (24) Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) 6-3 3-6 6-3 7-6 (9-7).

WOMEN'S SINGLES:Third round: (2) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Elena Baltacha (Gbr) 6-1 6-2, Jie Zheng (Chn) bt (11) Marion Bartoli (Fra) 5-7 6-3 6-0, (31) Alona Bondarenko (Ukr) bt (8) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) 6-2 6-3, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt Roberta Vinci (Ita) 7-5 7-6 (7-4), Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt Sara Errani (Ita) 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-3, (19) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt (15) Kim Clijsters (Bel) 6-0 6-1, Justine Henin (Bel) bt (27) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) 3-6 6-4 6-2, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Angelique Kerber (Ger) 3-6 7-5 6-4.