French Open champion Francesca Schiavone suffered a major setback on Wednesday when she was beaten in her first outing on clay this season at the Stuttgart Grand Prix.
The world No. 4 skipped Italy’s Fed Cup showdown against Russia last weekend to spend more time preparing for her Roland Garros defense, but her decision failed to pay off as she was humbled 6-1, 6-3 by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round.
“I am very happy about my performance. Against Francesca you have to mix it up. She is like a wall,” Radwanska said. “I played her three weeks ago and knew what I had to do.”
Photo: AFP
While Schiavone works out a way to rediscover her winning touch on red dirt, she might want to take a few tips from world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who thumped Slovakian qualifier Zuzana Kucova 6-1, 6-2 to cruise into the quarter-finals.
The 20-year-old Dane, who won her third tournament of the year in Charleston, North Carolina, earlier this month, but has yet to win a Grand Slam title, needed just over an hour to dispose of Kucova, ranked 132 places lower.
Wozniacki, with one eye set on the French Open starting next month, was broken in the first game, but raced through the next eight before clinching the second set 6-2.
Wozniacki will have a tougher task in the next round, where she will face Australian Open quarter-finalist Andrea Petkovic, who won her big--hitting encounter against former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
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