Former world number one Kim Clijsters has marked her return from an ankle injury with a hard-earned 4-6 6-1 6-0 win over Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova to reach the second round of the Miami Masters.

Clijsters, playing on Wednesday for the first time since her Australian Open semi-final defeat to Victoria Azarenka, had skipped last week’s Indian Wells tournament to rest her injured ankle.

The 28-year-old won the Miami event in 2005 and 2010.