0
NEW HAVEN (Connecticut), Aug 19: Jelena Dokic registered a welcome 6-2 6-4 victory over Meghann Shaughnessy at the Pilot Pen event on Monday to set up a second round encounter against top seed Lindsay Davenport.
Only two seeded players took to the court and both advanced, with number seven Conchita Martinez of Spain beating Japan’s Saori Obata 6-2 6-2, and eighth seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan edging past unseeded American Lisa Raymond 3-6 6-2 7-5.
Dokic was happy with the victory over Shaughnessy after losing their last two matches in what has been a worrying year that has witnessed her drop out of the world’s top-20 following a string of poor results.
Dokic, who is seeded 22 in New York, admits she has paid the price for overplaying the past two years.
In 2001, she played 76 singles and 52 doubles matches and added 79 singles and 43 doubles encounters to that total last year.
Top American junior Ashley Harkleroad returned from a two-month injury break but was beaten 6-1 7-6 by Ukraine’s Tatiana Perebiynis.
Five minutes before the match Harkleroad thought she was playing fellow American Alexandra Stevenson, but her original opponent withdrew with a shoulder injury that has kept her out of action for the past three weeks.
Harkleroad, who beat Daniela Hantuchova at the French Open, fell behind 6-1 5-1 and saved two match points before fighting back to lead 6-5.
However, she failed to convert her two set points and the Ukrainian’s greater firepower carried her through the tiebreak.
In other matches, Swiss qualifier Miriam Casanova lined up a second round meeting with second seed Amelie Mauresmo by overwhelming Laura Granville 6-1 6-1, and Elena Bovina disposed of qualifier Alicia Molik 6-3 6-3 to set up a contest against third seed Jennifer Capriati.
Cara Black will play fourth seed Hantuchova after beating fellow qualifier Rita Grande 6-2 6-1 and there were also wins for Russian teenager Vera Zvonareva and Magui Serna of Spain.
Results:
Conchita Martinez bt Saori Obata 6-2 6-2; Cara Black bt Rita Grande 6-2 6-1; Magui Serna bt Tina Pisnik 0-6 6-4 6-2; Tatiana Perebiynis bt Ashley Harkleroad 6-1 7-6 (7-3); Ai Sugiyama bt Lisa Raymond 3-6 6-2 7-5; Jelena Dokic bt Meghann Shaughnessy 6-2 6-4; Vera Zvonareva bt Sarah Taylor 6-2 6-0; Elena Bovina bt Alicia Molik 6-3 6-3; Miriam Casanova bt Laura Granville 6-1 6-1
LONG ISLAND (New York): Third seed Tommy Robredo had to come from a set down but managed to beat unseeded Argentine Jose Acasuso 2-6 6-2 7-5 and advance to the second round of the TD Waterhouse Cup on Monday.
The Spaniard dropped the first set but then rallied past Acasuso to set up a tie with the winner of Tuesday’s match between Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman and James Blake of the United States.
Seventh seed Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco also had to battle back from a set down to overcome Spanish qualifier Fernando Verdasco 6-7 6-4 6-0 and will meet South African qualifier Rik de Voest in the second round.
De Voest ensured that American Michael Chang’s final appearance at Long Island was not a lengthy one, with a 6-2 6-3 victory. Chang has already said he will retire at the end of the year.
German wild card Nicolas Kiefer also rallied for a 4-6 7-6 6-3 victory over France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu while qualifier Karol Beck of Slovakia beat Spain’s David Sanchez 2-6 6-4 6-3.
Defending champion and top seed Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand meets Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko on Tuesday, while second-seed Gustavo Kuerten, who accepted a wild card into the event, will play Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia.
Hrbaty got into the tournament after Cincinnati Masters finalist Mardy Fish, who lost to Andy Roddick on Sunday, withdrew with fatigue.
First round results:
Tommy Robredo bt Jose Acasuso 2-6 6-2 7-5; Younes El Aynaoui bt Fernando Verdasco 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-0; Nicolas Kiefer bt Paul-Henri Mathieu 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3; Rik De Voest bt Michael Chang 6-2 6-3; Karol Beck bt David Sanchez 2-6 6-4 6-3; Jarkko Nieminen bt Feliciano Lopez 6-3 1-1retired
LONDON: Women’s seedings for the U.S. Open tennis championships at Flushing Meadows, New York on Monday:
1-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) 2-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) 3-Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) 4-Venus Williams (U.S.) 5-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) 7-Anastasia Myskina (Russia) 8-Chanda Rubin (U.S.) 9-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 10-Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) 11-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 12-Conchita Martinez (Spain)
MEN’S SEEDINGS:
1-Andre Agassi (U.S.) 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) 3-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) 4-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 5-Guillermo Coria (Argentina) 6-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 7-Carlos Moya (Spain) 8-Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 9-Sebastien Grosjean (France) 10-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) 11-Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) 12-Sjeng Schalken (Netherlands).—Reuters
