January 14, 2003	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 10, 1423

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MELBOURNE, Jan 13: Jennifer Capriati was sensationally knocked out of the Australian Open by Germany’s Marlene Weingartner on the opening day of the year’s first Grand Slam event.

The third-seeded American’s hopes of winning a hat trick of titles at Melbourne Park disintegrated on Monday when she blew a commanding lead to go down 2-6 7-6 6-4 to a player ranked 87 places below her.

Capriati looked to have the match under control when she raced through the first set then opened up a 4-2 lead in the second.

But her lack of match practice following recent eye surgery suddenly caught up with her and her game fell apart at the seams as she became the first defending women’s champion to lose in the first round at Melbourne since the Open Era began in 1968.

Weingartner, 22, reached the fourth round of the 2002 Australian Open but Monday’s victory was the biggest win of her career.

Capriati’s stunning defeat has already increased the chances of another all-Williams final after Venus swept past Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 6-2.

With little sister Serena due to begin her campaign for a non-calendar year grand slam on Tuesday, Venus showed she is still looming as the biggest threat with an effortless win.

Andre Agassi also showed why he is being tipped to win a fourth title in the men’s competition after he bulldozed fellow American Brian Vahaly 7-5 6-3 6-3.

The three-times champion spent just over two hours booking his next round spot. He had been unable to defend his title here last year because of a wrist injury and looked thrilled to be back on court.

Once Venus had shaken off the ring-rustiness caused by two months away from competitive action, she also ran away with her match and demolished the gifted Kuznetsova.

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov safely booked his place in the second round with a 7-6 6-3 4-6 6-3 win over Jeff Morrison.

Just four of the 32 seeds in action fell by the wayside on Monday, with former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez joining Capriati on the casualty list.

Martinez, the women’s 31st seed, lost to Australia’s Samantha Stosur 6-7 6-3 6-4.

South African Wayne Ferreira sent Spanish 26th seed Tommy Robredo packing with a 5-7 6-0 6-3 6-4 win and Romanian 21st seed Andrei Pavel retired after aggravting a back injury in the first set of his match with Renzo Furlan.

Anna Kournikova won her first grand slam match in two years, sweeping past Henrieta Nagyova 6-1 6-2.

The victory sets up a second round clash with fifth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne — her conqueror in the first round here last year.

The newly-married Belgian breezed into the second round with a 6-3 6-4 win over Switzerland’s Myriam Casanova.

Results: (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles (first round): 22-Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia) beat Jeff Morrison (U.S.) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 4-6 6-3; Felix Mantilla (Spain) beat Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 4-6 7-5 6-3 4-6 6-4; 4-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Franco Squillari (Argentina) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-2 6-3; Guillermo Coria (Argentina) beat Francisco Clavet (Spain) 6-4 7-5 6-1; Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) beat Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 7-5; 2-Andre Agassi (U.S.) beat Brian Vahaly (U.S.) 7-5 6-3 6-3; 5-Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Dick Norman (Belgium) 7-5 6-3 6-4; Jean-Rene Lisnard (France) beat Andrea Gaudenzi (Italy) 6-4 2-6 6-1 4-6 6-1; 14-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) beat Vladimir Voltchkov (Belarus) 6-3 7-5 6-3; Lee Hyung-taik (South Korea) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-3; 29-Nicolas Escude (France) beat Gouichi Motomura (Japan) 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2; Mardy Fish (U.S.) beat Joachim Johansson (Sweden) 6-3 7-5 6-2; Renzo Furlan (Italy) beat 21-Andrei Pavel (Romania) 4-1 ret.; 28-Fabrice Santoro (France) beat Bjorn Phau (Germany) 6-4 6-3 6-4; Jan-Michael Gambil (U.S.) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-2 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2; Peter Luczak (Australia) beat Attila Savolt (Hungary) 7-5 6-2 6-4; 8-Albert Costa (Spain) beat David Prinosil (Germany) 6-4 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5); 11-Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) beat Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 7-5 6-4 1-6 6-0; 12-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat Fernando Meligeni (Brazil) 6-4 6-2 6-3; Scott Draper (Australia) beat Alex Kim (U.S.) 7-5 6-3 3-6 6-3; Sargis Sargsian (Armenia) beat Agustin Calleri (Argentina) 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-0; David Sanchez (Spain) beat Kristian Pless (Denmark) 5-7 6-3 1-6 6-4 10-8; 16-Sjeng Schalken (Netherlands) beat Jack Brasington (U.S.) 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7-5); Michel Kratochvil (Switzerland) beat Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) 6-3 6-0 6-3; Mario Ancic (Croatia) beat Alexander Waske (Germany) 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4); Christophe Rochus (Belgium) beat Irakli Labadze (Georgia) 6-2 6-3 6-4; 17-Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) beat Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) 7-5 7-5 6-2; Wayne Ferreira (South Africa) beat 26-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 5-7 6-0 6-3 6-4; 24-Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) beat Julien Benneteau (France) 6-0 6-4 6-0; Karol Kucera (Slovakia) beat Jan Vacek (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1 6-4; Mark Philippoussis (Australia) beat Martin Verkerk (Netherlands) 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3; Wayne Arthurs (Australia) beat Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-7 (5-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-4

Women’s singles Marlene Weingartner (Germany) beat 3-Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) beat 2-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4; Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzbekistan) beat Alica Molik (Australia) 3-6 6-4 ret.; Virginia Ruano Pacual (Spain) beat Shinobu Asagoe (Japan) 6-2 6-1; 12-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Wynne Prakusya (Indonesia) 6-3 6-1; Nicole Pratt (Australia) beat Mashona Washington (U.S.) 6-1 7-6 (7-5); Samantha Stosur (Australia) beat 31-Conchita Martinez (Spain) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4; Stephanie Foretz (France) beat Evgenie Koulikovskaya (Russia) 4-6 6-1 6-0; 13-Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) beat Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 6-4 6-2; 22-Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) beat Libuse Prusova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-2; Anca Barna (Germany) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 5-7 6-1 6-3; Marta Marrero (Spain) beat Jelena Kostanic (Croatia) 7-6 (9-7) 6-1; 9-Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) beat Camille Pin (France) 6-2 6-1; Ansley Cargill (U.S.) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-1 6-2; Evie Dominikovic (Australia) beat Barbara Rittner (Germany) 7-5 4-6 6-4; Vanessa Webb (Canada) beat Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (Spain) 2-6 7-5 6-3; 30-Janette Husarova (Slovakia) beat Maria Emilia Salerni (Argentina) 6-3 6-0; 27-Lisa Raymond (U.S.) beat Lindsay Lee-Waters (U.S.) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3; 2-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-4 6-2; 7-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Fabiola Zuluaga (Colombia) 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4; 15-Alexandra Stevenson (U.S.) beat Elena Baltacha (Britain) 6-1 6-4; Adriana Serra Zanetti (Italy) beat Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 7-6 (8-6) 6-4; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) beat Dinara Safina (Russia) 3-6 6-3 6-3; 24-Tatiana Panova (Russia) beat Angelika Roesch (Romania) 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-2; Denisa Chladkova (Czech Republic) beat Cara Black (Zimbabwe) 6-3 6-0; Virginie Razzano (France) beat Jill Craybas (U.S.) 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-1; Anna Kournikova (Russia) beat Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia) 6-1 6-2; Akiko Morigami (Japan) beat Stanislava Hrozenska (Slovakia) 6-2 6-1; 23-Paola Suarez (Argentina) beat Dally Randriantefy (Madagascar) 6-4 6-3; 5-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) beat Myriam Casanova (Switzerland) 6-3 6-4; 21-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat Angelique Widjaja (Indonesia) 6-3 4-6 6-2; Nadia Petrova (Russia) beat Greta Arn (Germany) 6-2 6-1; Tathiana Garbin (Italy) beat Rachel McQuillan (Australia) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).—Reuters