MADRID: Sara Errani lost in the first round for the third time this season, losing 7-5, 7-5 to Camila Giorgi at the Madrid Masters on Saturday.
The 15th-seeded Errani was broken seven times in the all-Italian match.
She had already been defeated in the first round at the Australian Open and in Brisbane, but was coming off a semi-final appearance in Charleston.
The 50th-ranked Giorgi was a finalist in Poland earlier this month, losing to Dominika Cibulkova.
The other two seeds in action on Saturday, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and America’s Sloane Stephens, had to fight back from a set down to progress to the second round.
Svitolina, seeded 12th, also showed her battling qualities by prevailing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium while 16th seed Stephens recovered against Brazilian Teliana Pereira to prevail 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
World number 49 Alize Cornet was given a scare by wildcard entry Paula Badosa Gibert, ranked 191 places lower.
Badosa took the first set 6-2 but after French star Cornet levelled, her 18-year-old opponent retired with cramps at 2-2 in the decider.
Russian Ekaterina Makarova put down a comprehensive 6-3, 6-4 singles win over Annika Beck of Germany while American Christina McHale won 6-0, 6-4 over another German, Anna-Lena Friedsam.
Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016
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