Eastbourne, England - Two of the top three women's seeds
crashed out in the opening round of the Eastbourne Championships
Tuesday, with Svetlana Kuznetsova ambushed just days after lifting
the French Open title.
Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, 23rd on the WTA, did the damage to
the Russian 6-0, 6-3 in a rout on the lawns of Devonshire Parks which
required only 51 minutes.
Russian Anna Chakvetadze began gaining confidence as that of third
seed Jelena Jankovic was ebbing away after a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2
first-round defeat.
Former number one Jankovic confessed that she could happily take a
break from tennis immediately were it not for Monday's start of
Wimbledon.
The volatile Jankovic has always played on emotion, her feelings
hard to hide. 'I'm missing motivation at this moment. I'll play
Wimbledon and then we'll see. At least I can take a few weeks off
then.
'I wish I could take a break now,' said Jankovic, who ended 2008
on the top ranking. 'I need to get to where I want to play tennis
again.'
Jankovic has been dissatisfied with her form ever since gaining
seven kilograms of muscle during the winter season. She is now trying
to lose it after it restricted her movement and feel on the court.
Switching over to grass has not been the easiest task.
'It was my first grass match (this season) and it was tough to get
the rhythm out there. I started so slow,' she said after trailing 5-1
but winning the first set against the Russian. 'I didn't feel
comfortable.
'But going for the low balls, my legs got tired, in the third set,
I didn't have the injury to get down low.
Chakvetadze couldn't have been happier: 'I'm pleased with every
win, it's very important to me to get back my confidence,' said the
one-time number five, now 31st.
Danish sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki was all smiles with her
defeat of Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-2. Holder Agnieszwa
Radwanska, the eighth seed, beat her younger sister Ursula 6-1, 6-1
in a solid start to a title defence.
On the men's side, the top seed lasted only briefly as Canadian
Frank Dancevic upset Russian Igor Andreev 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.
Number 126 Dancevic, who beat David Nalbandian last year at
Wimbledon, won only his second match since August as his game
suddenly lifts.
Frenchman Julien Benneteau upset Russian fifth seed Mikhail
Youzhny 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to advance into the second round.
Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic was the first into the
quarter-finals thanks to his 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Briton Joshua
Goodall.
USA
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