The Hindu : Maleeva shocks Venus

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 04, 2002

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Maleeva shocks Venus

MOSCOW Oct. 3. Top seed Venus Williams, playing her first match since the U.S. Open final defeat by sister Serena, was beaten 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) by unseeded Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva at the Kremlin Cup tennis on Thursday.

Organisers received another blow when home favourite Anna Kournikova withdrew from the $ 2.2 million tournament with an ankle injury.

WTA officials said x-rays taken on Thursday morning revealed that Kournikova suffered a partial tear of the anterior ligament in her left ankle in a doubles match on Wednesday.

They said the 21-year-old will probably miss the rest of the year. Kournikova, who has missed much of the season with a stress fracture in the same foot, is still looking for her first singles title after playing in her 116th tournament since 1995.

Defending champion Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia was upset by South African Amanda Coetzer 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3 on Wednesday in the second round, while Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic beat sixth-seeded Thomas Johansson of Sweden in the first round.

Coetzer and Dokic traded breaks in the opening set, but Dokic — ranked fifth in the world — came back with an early 3-1 lead in the second set and broke her opponent one more time to even the match.

After trading breaks early in the third set, Coetzer, the world No. 26, won three consecutive games for a commanding 4-1 lead.

While 3-5 down and 30-30 on her serve in the ninth game, Dokic committed her 12th double fault in the match and then netted a backhand to lose the match.

The results: Men (second round): Cyril Saulnier bt Bohdan Ulihrach 6-3, 6-2; Sjeng Schalken bt Wayne Fereira 7-5, 6-0; Roger Federer bt Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4; Rainer Schuettler bt Jonas Bjorkman 6-1, 6-3.

First round: Bohdan Ulihrach bt Thomas Johansson 7-6(5), 7-6(2); Roger Federer bt Denis Golovanov 6-0, 6-1; Marat Safin bt Fernando Meligeni 6-4, 7-6(4); Jarkko Nieminen bt Marcelo Rios 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(4); Jiri Novak bt Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Women (second round): Magdalena Maleeva bt Venus Williams 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(3); Lindsay Davenport bt Magui Serna 6-4, 6-3. Amelie Mauresmo bt Tatiana Panova 6-4, 6-3; Amanda Coetzer bt Jelena Dokic 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3.

First round: Magui Serna bt Paola Suarez 6-2, 2-6, 6-2; Meghann Shaughnessy bt Anastasis Myskina 6-3, 6-7(10), 6-4; Elena Dementieva bt Iva Majoli 6-4, 6-1.

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