Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was ousted in the first round of the Qatar Open by Shahar Peer of Israel 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
Kuznetsova, two days after losing the final in nearby Dubai to new No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, looked a shadow of herself and appeared to struggle with a foot problem for which she received courtside treatment in the second set.
The eighth-seeded Peer broke the Russian six times, sending Kuznetsova out of the Doha first round for the first time. She was runner-up in 2004 and 2007.
Photo: EPA
Victoria Azarenka’s poor start to the year was extended when she lost to Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Azarenka, ranked ninth, has only one quarter-final appearance in four tournaments this year.
The other seed in action, No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, handled Oman wild card Fatma al-Nabhani 6-1, 6-3.
Photo: AFP
Kaia Kanepi of Estonia withdrew because of a fever, leaving Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai to beat Swiss lucky loser Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-2. Other winners included Flavia Pennetta of Italy, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, qualifier Vera Dushevina of Russia, and another lucky loser, Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic.
DELRAY BEACH
AP, DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA
Second-seeded Mardy Fish of the US advanced to the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Tuesday when German Bjorn Phau retired from their first-round match while trailing 0-5.
Fish, who won the Delray Beach title in 2009, took 20 of 26 points in the 20 minutes he spent on court. Fish was also a finalist at the tournament in 2003.
“I’ve been out here long enough to know not to take these kinds of matches for granted and move on,” said Fish, who has been battling thyroid illness since November. “Lord knows, I haven’t been feeling the best the past couple of months.”
Kei Nishikori of Japan, who won his only career title here in 2008, beat Brian Dabul of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (5). Nishikori, returning from elbow surgery in August 2009, will play James Blake in the second round.
Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, working his way back onto the tour after right wrist surgery last year, had a 6-4, 6-1 first round win over Richard Berankis of Lithuania.
Six players from the scheduled main draw have come down with flu-like symptoms.
Top seed Andy Roddick pulled out of the event on Monday. Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic withdrew over the weekend. American Ryan Harrison was sick on court and lost his match on Monday.
On Tuesday, Phau and Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic abandoned matches feeling sick, and Michel Przysiezny of Poland never made it to the court.
MEXICAN OPEN
AP, ACAPULCO, MEXICO
Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain was knocked out in the first round of the Mexican Open, losing 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci on Tuesday.
Verdasco was bundled out in the first round of the RMK Championships in Memphis last week by Milos Raonic, who beat him in the SAP Open title the previous week.
Bellucci converted 75 percent of his break points and won 70 percent of his service points to beat Verdasco in just over two hours late on Tuesday.
Earlier, third-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain took a confident step toward his third straight title with an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over Victor Hanescu of Romania.
Almagro won the Copa Claro on Sunday in Buenos Aires and the Brazil Open the week before — both on clay, the surface in Mexico.
Fourth-seeded Stanislas Wa-wrinka of Switzerland also got off to a winning start, defeating Pablo Andujar of Spain 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in the joint ATP and WTA event in Mexico’s Pacific coastal resort.
Defending champion and top-seeded David Ferrer reached the second round on Monday.
Fifth-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain defeated countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-2, 6-1, and seventh-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina moved on to the second round after defeating countryman Horacio Zeballos 7-5, 7-6 (3).
There was bad news for No. 8 Juan Ignacio Chela, who retired in the second set against fellow Argentine Eduardo Schwank with the scores at 3-6, 6-5.
On the women’s side, Loudres Dominguez Lino of Spain eliminated second-seeded Polona Hercog of Slovenia 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. No. 5 Simona Halep of Romania also bowed out, with Laura Pous-Tio of Spain winning 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3.
No. 3 Greta Arn of Hungary defeated Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania 6-4, 6-4, and No. 4 Gisela Dulko of Argentina advanced against Anna Tatishvili of Georgia 6-3, 6-1. No. 7-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain downed Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-1.
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday fought through a second-set slump to post a roller-coaster 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set, but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third set as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. “It was just a roller coaster,” said the second
NEXT ROUND: World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka opened their title defenses with straight-sets wins, while Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz also advanced Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked No. 1 in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon, where Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather, while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game
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