McHale surprises Wozniacki
Source: Agencies |
August 19, 2011, Friday
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THE Western & Southern Open lost some of its luster yesterday as its top seed Caroline Wozniacki slipped out and star attraction Serena Williams quit the tournament, along with third seed Victoria Azarenka.
Fans and organizers were left deflated with 13-time grand slam winner Williams and third seed Azarenka both having been scheduled to play on center court as part of a busy schedule alongside the ATP men's event.
Williams pulled out citing a right toe injury - but also noting her need to get some rest before the US Open.
"I don't think this is a good time for me to take a big chance. I just don't think that would be smart," Williams said.
Azarenka then withdrew due to a right hand injury which she didn't want to risk just two weeks from the final grand slam event of the year.
"It's impossible to play for me. I was waiting until the last moment to be 100 percent sure that I cannot compete," Azarenka said.
Those who did manage to see one of the favorites witnessed an upset with Wozniacki looking well below her best against 19-year-old American Christine McHale.
The defeat was the first time Wozniacki lost to an opponent outside the top 75 since 2009 and extends a worrying spell of form for the Dane.
Serbian Ana Ivanovic's disappointing season continued with a 6-3, 7-6 loss to Russia's Nadia Petrova, but another Serbian former number one, Jelena Jankovic enjoyed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over China's Zheng Jie.
Germany's Andrea Petkovic advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.
In the men's draw France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered a surprise defeat to qualifier Alex Bogomolov while Spain's Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic passed their second-round tests on Wednesday.
France's Tsonga, a semifinalist at Wimbledon, fell to Bogomolov 6-3, 6-4.
Bogomolov, who has yet to win an ATP Tour event and ranked 50th, made a name for himself this year with a surprise win over Andy Murray in Miami and he now gets another shot at the Briton in the third round.
Slow start
Djokovic moved his season record to 54-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ryan Harrison.
The Serb now has a 30-0 record on hard courts after recovering from an early break from 19-year-old Harrison.
"It was a slow start, not a good start. I wasn't serving so great today but I think everything else was quite good.
"From the baseline I wasn't making a lot of unforced errors. I was returning a lot of balls in and played quite good really for the opening match."
Both Murray and Nadal suffered early exits at the Montreal Masters last week but there was little hint either would fall to the same fate on Wednesday.
Murray, the fourth seed, overcame a sluggish start to record a 6-4, 6-1 win over Argentine David Nalbandian.
World number two Nadal also put last week's setback aside, beating French qualifier Julien Benneteau 6-4, 7-5 in just over 90 minutes.
The Spaniard won all three break points he gained in a comfortable display and will now face compatriot Fernando Verdasco, who beat France's Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-4.
Nadal was forced to play with bandages on two fingers on his right hand, which he said were the result of handling a hot plate at a restaurant and suffering blisters.
Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber posted a 6-1, 6-4 win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez.
Fans and organizers were left deflated with 13-time grand slam winner Williams and third seed Azarenka both having been scheduled to play on center court as part of a busy schedule alongside the ATP men's event.
Williams pulled out citing a right toe injury - but also noting her need to get some rest before the US Open.
"I don't think this is a good time for me to take a big chance. I just don't think that would be smart," Williams said.
Azarenka then withdrew due to a right hand injury which she didn't want to risk just two weeks from the final grand slam event of the year.
"It's impossible to play for me. I was waiting until the last moment to be 100 percent sure that I cannot compete," Azarenka said.
Those who did manage to see one of the favorites witnessed an upset with Wozniacki looking well below her best against 19-year-old American Christine McHale.
The defeat was the first time Wozniacki lost to an opponent outside the top 75 since 2009 and extends a worrying spell of form for the Dane.
Serbian Ana Ivanovic's disappointing season continued with a 6-3, 7-6 loss to Russia's Nadia Petrova, but another Serbian former number one, Jelena Jankovic enjoyed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over China's Zheng Jie.
Germany's Andrea Petkovic advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.
In the men's draw France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered a surprise defeat to qualifier Alex Bogomolov while Spain's Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic passed their second-round tests on Wednesday.
France's Tsonga, a semifinalist at Wimbledon, fell to Bogomolov 6-3, 6-4.
Bogomolov, who has yet to win an ATP Tour event and ranked 50th, made a name for himself this year with a surprise win over Andy Murray in Miami and he now gets another shot at the Briton in the third round.
Slow start
Djokovic moved his season record to 54-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ryan Harrison.
The Serb now has a 30-0 record on hard courts after recovering from an early break from 19-year-old Harrison.
"It was a slow start, not a good start. I wasn't serving so great today but I think everything else was quite good.
"From the baseline I wasn't making a lot of unforced errors. I was returning a lot of balls in and played quite good really for the opening match."
Both Murray and Nadal suffered early exits at the Montreal Masters last week but there was little hint either would fall to the same fate on Wednesday.
Murray, the fourth seed, overcame a sluggish start to record a 6-4, 6-1 win over Argentine David Nalbandian.
World number two Nadal also put last week's setback aside, beating French qualifier Julien Benneteau 6-4, 7-5 in just over 90 minutes.
The Spaniard won all three break points he gained in a comfortable display and will now face compatriot Fernando Verdasco, who beat France's Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-4.
Nadal was forced to play with bandages on two fingers on his right hand, which he said were the result of handling a hot plate at a restaurant and suffering blisters.
Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber posted a 6-1, 6-4 win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez.
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