France’s Aravane Rezai fell at the first hurdle at the WTA Andalucia Tennis Experience tournament on Tuesday, suffering a straight-sets defeat in the first round to Spanish wildcard Estrella Cabeza.
Third seed Rezai, ranked 24, went down 6-3, 6-0 against 258th-ranked Cabeza, who had lost her only previous meeting with the French player in Palermo five years ago.
Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced to the second round, but not without the second seed dropping a set to qualifier Mona Barthel at the US$220,000 event.
Photo: EPA
Former US and French Open champion Kuznetsova was led by a set and 4-1 by the German before digging deep to win through 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
“For me it takes maybe two weeks to prepare for clay properly and there just wasn’t time,” Kuznetsova said. “I was expecting to hit more winners and it wasn’t happening because this is clay, but I knew that if I kept fighting things might go my way, and I’m happy that I was able to do it.”
Meanwhile, Rezai’s serve was broken five times as the Frenchwoman could only convert one of her nine break point chances.
“Although she was one of the seeds and that she hits the ball well, I knew that she hadn’t been in great form,” 24-year-old Cabeza said after the biggest win of her career.
Russia’s Dinara Safina avoided a similar fate as she advanced despite dropping her opening set before seeing off Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Fifth seed Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria eased into the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Spaniard Maria Teresa Torro with home hopes Lourdes Dominguez and Lara Arruabarrena also advancing to the next round.
Hungary’s Agnes Szavay continued her return from injury with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Swede Johanna Larsson and next meets Kuznetsova.
FAMILY CIRCLE CUP
AFP, CHARLESTON, South Carolina
Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, who won this event two years ago, got off to a successful start on Tuesday in her opening match at the WTA Charleston clay court tournament.
Wildcard Lisicki hammered two aces and won 75 percent of her first-serve points by rallying to beat Czech Renata Voracova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Lisicki, of Troisdorf, was forced to miss last year’s Charleston event after suffering an ankle injury that left her on crutches for a long spell.
“Basically I had to learn to walk again,” she said. “That’s why this match means so much to me, you know, after all that I went through and I came back and won my first match.”
Her world ranking has fallen more than 150 spots to No. 182 because of the injury.
Lisicki was first up on the main court as thunderstorms delayed some of the matches.
In other matches, Maria Kirilenko easily beat American Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-0, Daniela Hantuchova ousted Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated fellow Czech Andrea Hlavackova 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7/6).
Tamira Paszek also beat the US’ Melanie Oudin 6-1, 7-5.
GRAND PRIX HASSAN II
AP, CASABLANCA, Morocco
Potito Starace beat Daniel Brands of Germany 7-5, 6-2 on Tuesday in the first round of the Grand Prix Hassan II.
The fifth-seeded Italian lost only 10 points on his serve and converted three of seven break points to advance at the clay-court tournament. He will next face Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain.
Also, seventh-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy downed Spanish qualifier Gerard Granollers-Pujol 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Fognini struggled on first serve, but saved eight of 13 break points and broke Granollers-Pujol seven times.
Fognini will next play Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic, who advanced after Morocco’s Reda El Amrani retired when leading 4-3 in the first set.
Filippo Volandri of Italy progressed to meet top-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain after breaking Julien Benneteau of France four times in a 7-5, 6-3 win.
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, Portugal’s Frederico Gil and Germany’s Michael Berrer advanced with straight-set victories.
Ramirez Hidalgo beat Rui Machado of Portugal 7-5, 6-1, Gil beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-3, 6-1 and Berrer downed France’s Nicolas Devilder 6-3, 6-3.
Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia defeated Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol of Spain 6-1, 7-6 (5) to set up a second-round match against second-seeded Marcos Baghdatis, who is starting his clay-court season.
ATP HOUSTON
AFP, HOUSTON, Texas
Former winner Ivo Karlovic continued his domination over German Benjamin Becker, winning 7-5 (7/5), 6-4 in the first round of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship on Tuesday.
Qualifier Karlovic now has six victories and no losses against Becker. He also beat Becker en route to the Houston title four years ago.
“It was humid in the beginning and I had to adjust a little bit but it was good,” said Karlovic, who is on the mend from an Achilles’ injury.
Sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan advanced by beating Croatian qualifier Franco Skugor 6-3, 6-2 and the US’ Ryan Sweeting rolled over Tim Smyczek 6-2, 6-2.
First seed Mardy Fish plays his first match today. Fish is the top-ranked US male for the first time in his career after vaulting past Andy Roddick.
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