Aus Open: Kim Clijsters whips into fourth round

A relieved Clijsters said after the 6-1, 6-2 victory that she felt she had at last shaken off her injury worries.

Second seed Kim Clijsters gave herself a clean bill of health after romping into the Australian Open fourth round with an emphatic straight sets win over Italian Roberta Vinci on Saturday.

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A relieved Clijsters said after the 6-1, 6-2 victory that she felt she had at last shaken off the injury worries that were overshadowing her Grand Slam campaign.

"It's the first match where I've played really well and my body was actually feeling a lot better than the last two matches, that's what I'm more happy about," said the Belgian world number two after the 44-minute drubbing.

Clijsters, 22, a joint favourite for the season-opening Grand Slam, appeared with her left thigh heavily strapped and revealed she had been on painkillers since her last match.

But she said she felt as comfortable as she had since picking up the hip injury and aggravating an existing back condition at a warm up event in Sydney.

The Belgian US Open champion, who lost the 2004 final here to compatriot Justine Henin-Hardanne, had previously mulled withdrawing from the tournament because of the intense pain that was restricting her movement on court.

She was in the best form of her career before injuring herself in Sydney, claiming nine WTA tournaments last year, including her first Grand Slam with the US Open victory over Mary Pierce.

Clijsters missed last year's Australian Open because she was recovering from wrist surgery that saw her slump to 22nd in the world rankings before clawing her way back.

She will meet Italian 15th seed Francesca Schiavone in the fourth round and faces a potential quarter-final clash with comeback queen Martina Hingis.