Mauresmo crashes out of China Open
Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo was Monday dumped out of the
China Open, where the battle will continue for the top ranking in the
women’s game.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Mauresmo, who has plummeted to 25 in the
world after an injury-ravaged 2007, took the first set against
Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova but crashed to a 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 defeat.
Cibulkova, ranked five places above the French player, wrapped up
victory in two hours, 30 minutes in blustery conditions in front of a
sparse crowd.
The 19-year-old raised her game in a second set in which both players
had trouble holding serve, winning the final three games from 4-3 down
to level the match.
In the decider, an increasingly nervy Mauresmo, whose performance was
littered with errors, broke in the first game but then lost her serve to
love as Cibulkova levelled the scores at 3-3.
The Slovakian, sensing her chance, broke Mauresmo again to lead 5-3
before taking the set 6-3.
Earlier, Daniela Hantuchova, the seventh seed here, beat Argentina’s
Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-1.
The win for the Slovakian, now ranked 13 in the world, followed
victory for Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues over Caroline Wozniacki of
Denmark, also in straight sets.
Hantuchova was pleased with her performance, saying: “I think I did
the right thing. I got a lot of break points.”
Serbians Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are seeded one and two at
the 600,000-dollar China Open.
New world number three Dinara Safina, who captured the Pan Pacific
Open in Tokyo on Sunday, withdrew due to injury.
The women’s top ranking has been in flux since Justine Henin’s
surprise retirement in May, passing between Maria Sharapova, Ivanovic,
Jankovic and current number one Serena Williams.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side of the draw in Beijing, defending
champion and Olympic silver medallist Fernando Gonzalez faces a tough
battle to retain his title, with top seed David Ferrer and former world
number one Andy Roddick in the hunt.
There were first round wins Monday for Germany’s Bjorn Phau and
Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun.
BEIJING, AFP
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