US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic joined a growing list of early casualties at the Sydney International yesterday.
Frenchman Gael Monfils and Russia’s Vera Zvonereva also bowed out of the joint ATP-WTA event, succumbing to injury just a week before the Australian Open starts in Melbourne.
Monfils pulled out before hitting a ball at the Olympic tennis center because of a shoulder injury he sustained in Brisbane last week.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Zvonereva, who made her first grand slam semi-final in Australia last year, hobbled out of her first round match with countrywoman Elena Vesnina with a recurring ankle problem.
She retired with the scores locked at 3-3 in the first set.
A jet-lagged Wozniacki was knocked out by China’s Li Na 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was the only seeded woman to survive, coming from behind to beat Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
Jankovic, who has slipped to eighth in the world rankings after sitting at the top 12 months ago, lost her opening round match 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 to Hungary’s Agnes Szavay.
■HOBART INTERNATIONAL
AP, HOBART, AUSTRALIA
Second-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel advanced to the second round of the Hobart International yesterday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Olivia Rogowska of Australia.
Peer’s match was played without the problems that dogged her last week in Auckland, New Zealand, where she advanced to the semi-finals despite three days of anti-Israeli protests.
Acting on a noise complaint from tournament organizers, police officers made five arrests and about 20 demonstrators chanted and blew whistles outside the downtown Auckland tennis stadium during Peer’s quarter-final match last week.
Former top 10 player Alicia Molik of Australia beat India’s Sania Mirza 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in a night match.
■HEINEKEN OPEN
AFP, AUCKLAND
Former world No. 3 David Nalbandian pulled out of the Heineken Open yesterday, throwing his Australian Open plans into serious doubt.
On the comeback trail after hip surgery in May, the Argentine suffered an abdominal strain while warming up.
Austrian sixth seed Jurgen Melzer battled back from a set down to beat Italian Fabio Fognini 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Earlier, Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci beat Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland 6-3, 6-3 to progress to the second round.
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