Advertisement

Help
You are here: Rediff Home » India » Sports » Tennis » Reuters > Report
Search:  Rediff.com The Web
Advertisement
  Discuss this Article   |      Email this Article   |      Print this Article

Mauresmo, Blake sent packing
Get Sports updates:What's this?
Advertisement
May 29, 2008 19:31 IST

Local favourite Amelie Mauresmo was dumped out of the French Open second round in a shock 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Spanish qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro on Thursday.

Two-times Grand Slam winner Mauresmo, who before Roland Garros had not played since last month's Fed Cup tie in Japan [Images] due to an abdominal injury, struggled with her serve and the 22nd seed bowed out after 72 minutes.

Suarez Navarro, who knocked out Pauline Parmentier in the first round, could face a third Frenchwoman in a row if Nathalie Dechy were to beat Australian Casey Dellacqua.

The Spaniard, making her Grand Slam debut, was the first to hold serve in the fifth game and broke her opponent again courtesy of a Mauresmo double fault to open up a 5-2 lead and snatch the opening set in 34 minutes.

Mauresmo, who has never made it past the quarter-finals in Paris, dropped serve again in the fourth game of the second set and despite managing three games in a row, was broken again in the ninth.

The 19-year-old Suarez Navarro went on to claim victory on her first match point when Mauresmo sent a backhand long.

Latvian teenager Ernests Gulbis stuns Blake

In another major reverse of fortunes, seventh seed James Blake's hopes also ended in the second round when he was beaten 7-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 by Latvian teenager Ernests Gulbis.

Blake, one of five American men to reach the second round, had been hoping to join compatriot Wayne Odesnik in the last 32 but was bounced out by an opponent who hails from a family of basketball players.

World number 80 Gulbis had won back-to-back matches just twice this year before arriving in Paris, but chalked up his first win over a top 10 player this season.

A backhand down the line winner sealed Blake's fate after two hours and 36 minutes and the 19-year-old will next face either Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador or American Bobby Reynolds.



© Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
 Email this Article      Print this Article

© 2008 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Feedback