Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan and partner Monica Niculescu advanced to the second round of the women’s doubles at the French Open on Tuesday in Paris after outlasting a French duo in three sets, but Chan’s compatriot Chang Kai-chen was defeated in her doubles match yesterday.
Chang and her partner, Chanelle Scheepers, of South Africa were defeated 6-2, 6-2 yesterday by Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.
On Tuesday, the 13th-seeded duo of Chan and Niculescu set up a second-round encounter with unseeded Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia and Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic after beating Claire Feuerstein and Stephanie Foretz Gacon 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 28 minutes.
Photo: AFP
Chan and her partner were outplayed in the opening set, unable to win either of the two break points they faced or put pressure on their opponents.
They rebounded in the second set, securing three break points off the unseeded French duo and winning two of them, and then coasted through a dominating third set to clinch the match.
The 21-year-old Chan, long seen as Taiwan’s top prospect in the women’s game since turning pro in August 2004, is an accomplished doubles player, having reached two Grand Slam doubles finals in 2007 with compatriot Chuang Chia-jung.
Photo: Reuters
In singles, however, her ranking has fallen to 129th in the world after reaching a career-best 67th in 2007 and she has had little success in Grand Slam singles events, winning only five of 22 matches over her career, though she hopes to change that in Paris.
Chan won her first match ever at the French Open on Monday, defeating 31st-seed Zakopalova, and will next face world No. 104 American Jill Craybas.
Two other Taiwanese failed to join Chan in the second round of the women’s doubles.
Chuang and her partner Olga Govortsova of Belarus, seeded 14th, were ousted by Australians Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs 6-4, 6-0.
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and American Coco Vandeweghe were eliminated by top seeds Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
FEDERER
Meanwhile, yesterday Roger Federer ran off 13 straight games in beating French wild card Maxime Teixeira 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 in the second round.
The 2009 champion at Roland Garros was broken once early in the first set. However, after Teixeira held to go to 3-3, Federer dominated and didn’t lose another game until the Frenchman made it 4-1 in the third.
“It’s so difficult to come out and play on a big court when you are not used to it,” Federer said of his 22-year-old opponent. “I’m playing here for the 12th year and I’m very experienced.”
Also, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and 2010 French Open finalist Sam Stosur advanced to the third round.
Later yesterday, Novak Djokovic was to be back on court in the second round, as well as 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.
Federer will next face 29th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Pere Riba of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
Tipsarevic took Federer to five sets in the third round of the 2008 Australian Open, losing 10-8.
Wozniacki beat Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-3, 7-6 (6). The Dane trailed 6-3 in the tiebreaker, but won the final five points, saving three set points to reach the third round.
Wozniacki won despite hitting nine fewer winners than her opponent.
Stosur, who lost to Schiavone in last year’s final at Roland Garros, advanced to the third round by beating Simona Halep 6-0, 6-2. The eighth-seeded Stosur had 21 winners and broke her opponent six times before she served out the match at love.
No. 17 Julia Goerges of -Germany also won, while Gisela Dulko of -Argentina eliminated No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
On Tuesday, Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters made her return to Roland Garros.
The two-time runner-up, who last played on the red clay of Roland Garros in 2006, has been preparing for the French Open for months. The women’s second-seed had not played for almost two months after injuries, including an ankle problem that she picked up at her cousin’s wedding.
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal also reached the second round, but the Spaniard had to survive a scare from big-serving American opponent John Isner and win in five sets, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
. Australian Open finalists Andy “It’s always a very, very close match with John,” Nadal said in a courtside interview. “I was there, I fought all the time. In the tiebreaks, I was probably too nervous.”
British fourth-seed Andy Murray was broken twice in a 6-4, 6-1. 6-3 victory over Eric Prodon, a 29-year-old local qualifier who has won only one match on the main tour and was making just his fourth grand slam appearance.
China’s Li Na, who lost to Clijsters in January’s Australian Open, started with an uninspiring 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova as the day began with cloud.
On Court Philippe Chatrier, France’s Virginie Razzano, whose coach and fiance died eight days ago from a brain tumor, lost her match to Australian Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3, 6-1 to heartfelt applause.
“I had a lot of emotion and pain,” she said.
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