Venus, Kim, Kleybs heartened by return wins

Venus Williams, who played her first singles match since the U.S. Open in a win over Kimiko Date-Krumm at Miami, said she is feeling as well as can be expected. "I feel like a person that has an auto-immune disease,” said Williams, who is suffering from Sjogren's Syndrome. "You know, for me, I’m not going to probably feel like everybody else. But for me, my personal best is to give 100 percent. You know, someone with an auto-immune disease definitely faces different challenges than other people. But it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful."

Alisa Kleybanova, who returned after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, also scored a win, besting Johanna Larsson and then quietly celebrating with her team. "For the rest of us, in normal conditions, it’s just the first round," she said. "But for me, inside, it was really emotional. And of course, for my coach and for my friends that were out there for me today. You know, it’s not like I celebrated so much, like jumping around, but inside, we just looked at each other, and it was something between us. It was a very special moment."

Former No. 1 Kim Clijsters, who has slid to No. 37 and is playing her first tournament at Miami since her Australian Open semifinal loss to Victoria Azarenka, says that her sore ankle is feeling about "95 percent."

"My ankle feelsâ€"it feels totally fine," said Clijsters, who won her first two matches. "I don't worry about it anymore. I'm not able to play without the tape yet. I still need that support."