Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo lost in her first grass-court match of the season on Wednesday, Russian qualifier Vera Douchevina winning 6-4, 6-4 in the second round at Eastbourne.
Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova also struggled before beating Anna Chakvetadze 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in 1 hour, 50 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.
"I played a very, very bad match today," Mauresmo said.
"I was really hoping to have my first match on grass with much better rhythm than I had today. I really need to find good timing on the surface, which wasn't the case at all today," she said.
The second-seeded Kuznetsova faced elimination when her 18-year-old fellow Russian opponent served for the match at 5-4 in the third set.
"I saw she got nervous," Kuznetsova said. "She wasn't sure she could win, and I have more experience and that was my advantage against her."
Kuznetsova made a wretched start -- double-faulting to drop the second game and then missing a break point at 1-3. Russian qualifier Chakvetadze broke again for 5-1, and she then took the opening set in 23 minutes at the grass-court event.
Chakvetadze struck a double-handed backhand winner to break for 1-0 in the second set, and then held off five break points at 3-2.
Kuznetsova, however, eventually broke on her seventh break point of the match to level at 4-4. Chakvetadze's backhand error giving Kuznetsova a second break and the set.
Kuznetsova then dropped her serve in the first game of the deciding set, before staging a late recovery in a match rain-delayed by more than two hours.
"It was difficult conditions and when you're not used to it, it's very hard," Kuznetsova said. "But it wasn't just the conditions. Everything was working against me -- she's younger than me, she has no pressure and just came to the court to play.
Third-seeded Alicia Molik withdrew, and she will also miss Wimbledon after failing to recover from an ear infection that kept her out of the French Open.
The Australian was replaced in the draw by American Mashona Washington, who beat France's Virginie Razzano 7-6 (4), 6-4.
"After competing last week and in doubles yesterday, I've realized I'm not fully recovered yet," Molik said.
Also, fifth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia lost 6-2, 7-6 (5) against Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci; fourth-seeded Anastasia Myskina beat Venezuela's Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-4, 5-7, 6-0; and eighth-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France rallied versus American Amy Frazier 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Top-seeded Tommy Robredo and second-seeded Guillermo Coria both lost on Wednesday at the Ordina Open, while Nadia Petrova and Dinara Safina advanced to the women's quarterfinals.
Lars Burgsmuller, a 30-year-old German who hadn't won a match in his last eight tournaments, ousted Spain's Robredo 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Robredo never looked at ease in the final grasscourt tuneup before Wimbledon. He was broken twice in the first set, and missed several chances to even the match in the second set tiebreaker.
Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic ousted Coria, who was a finalist in Den Bosch last year. Hernych won 6-3, 6-4.
In other men's action, Philipp Kohlschreiber beat fifth-seeded Robin Soderling 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9). After a rain delay, defending champion Michael Llodra of France defeated countryman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
In the women's event, French Open semifinalist Petrova defeated Argentina's Mariana Diaz-Oliva 6-3, 6-4.
RSS