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