Zvonareva, Schiavone ousted
Source: Agencies |
February 18, 2011, Friday
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VERA Zvonareva and Francesca Schiavone were both eliminated in the third round of the Dubai Championships on Thursday.
Alisa Kleybanova beat Russian teammate Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2, while Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated third seed Schiavone 1-6, 6-0, 7-5.
Fourth seed Samantha Stosur of Australia also reached the quarterfinals, beating Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-4, while Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 6-2 and Shahar Peer of Israel overcame a sluggish start to beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Wickmayer had on Wednesday beaten Australian Open runner-up and fifth seed Li Na of China, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-2.
The highly anticipated match between Schiavone and Kuznetsova lacked the drama of their Australian Open encounter in Melbourne which lasted nearly five hours and was the longest women's grand slam singles match in the Open era. Schiavone won that fourth-round match.
After two quick sets that went opposite ways, Kuznetsova needed seven match points to win.
"I said to myself, 'Look, you still have it. You're good enough. It's just matter of closing the deal'," Kuznetsova said. "I just cannot close it. It's just one point, a stupid point, but it's only one. I win like 101 during the match, and I can't win just final one. It's funny."
Kleybanova had six aces against Zvonareva, an Australian Open semifinalist and runner-up at the US Open and Wimbledon.
"Maybe the score looked easy, but the match wasn't really easy today. We had a lot of fighting in many games," said Kleybanova, who has beaten Zvonareva twice before.
Zvonareva, who reached the quarterfinals last year in Dubai, called the match one of her worst recent performances. "Definitely, it wasn't my day today. I think I didn't play too good," the second seed said. "Too many unforced errors. Probably one of the worse matches in a while from my part."
In Memphis, Tennessee, Canada's Milos Raonic beat No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, his second victory over the Spaniard in four days.
Raonic, aged 20 and the fastest rising young star on the ATP Tour, beat Verdasco last Sunday in the finals of the SAP Open in San Jose for his first career title.
He has risen from 159 in the world to start the year to 59 this week.
In other first-round action, former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, a quarterfinalist last week in San Jose, beat No. 7 seed Lu Yen-hsun of Chinese Taipei 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Alisa Kleybanova beat Russian teammate Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2, while Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated third seed Schiavone 1-6, 6-0, 7-5.
Fourth seed Samantha Stosur of Australia also reached the quarterfinals, beating Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-4, while Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 6-2 and Shahar Peer of Israel overcame a sluggish start to beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Wickmayer had on Wednesday beaten Australian Open runner-up and fifth seed Li Na of China, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-2.
The highly anticipated match between Schiavone and Kuznetsova lacked the drama of their Australian Open encounter in Melbourne which lasted nearly five hours and was the longest women's grand slam singles match in the Open era. Schiavone won that fourth-round match.
After two quick sets that went opposite ways, Kuznetsova needed seven match points to win.
"I said to myself, 'Look, you still have it. You're good enough. It's just matter of closing the deal'," Kuznetsova said. "I just cannot close it. It's just one point, a stupid point, but it's only one. I win like 101 during the match, and I can't win just final one. It's funny."
Kleybanova had six aces against Zvonareva, an Australian Open semifinalist and runner-up at the US Open and Wimbledon.
"Maybe the score looked easy, but the match wasn't really easy today. We had a lot of fighting in many games," said Kleybanova, who has beaten Zvonareva twice before.
Zvonareva, who reached the quarterfinals last year in Dubai, called the match one of her worst recent performances. "Definitely, it wasn't my day today. I think I didn't play too good," the second seed said. "Too many unforced errors. Probably one of the worse matches in a while from my part."
In Memphis, Tennessee, Canada's Milos Raonic beat No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, his second victory over the Spaniard in four days.
Raonic, aged 20 and the fastest rising young star on the ATP Tour, beat Verdasco last Sunday in the finals of the SAP Open in San Jose for his first career title.
He has risen from 159 in the world to start the year to 59 this week.
In other first-round action, former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, a quarterfinalist last week in San Jose, beat No. 7 seed Lu Yen-hsun of Chinese Taipei 6-4, 7-6 (3).
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