- News>
- Tennis
Clijsters` semi-final streak snapped with shock defeat
Toronto, Aug 15: Top-ranked Kim Clijsters was upset by unseeded Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya 1-6 6-4 6-1 in the third round of the Rogers AT&T Cup, ending her streak of reaching the semifinals at every tournament this year.
Toronto, Aug 15: Top-ranked Kim Clijsters was upset by unseeded Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya 1-6 6-4 6-1 in the third round of the Rogers AT&T Cup, ending her streak of reaching the semifinals at every tournament this year.
Clijsters moved up to no. 1 for the first time Monday, replacing Serena Williams. The Belgian made at least the semifinals at 14 events she entered in 2003, and she leads the tour with six titles.
Clijsters looked as if she were headed for an easy victory against Krasnoroutskaya, winning the opening set in only 17 minutes. But her unforced errors increased in the last two sets.
Clijsters won a tournament in Carson, California, on Sunday, and she said that meant she didn't have enough time to prepare properly for this hard-court event.
"I just don't think that I had the right preparation. Especially with the traveling," she said. "But I decided to play. I think today was just one match too much. I just ran out of batteries in the second and the third."
She was playing for the 5th straight week. In another upset, unseeded Paola Suarez of Argentina defeated no 4 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-2 6-0.
In other matches involving seeded players, Belgian no. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne topped Russian no. 14 Nadia Petrova 6-3 7-5; no. 3 Amelie Mauresmo of France defeated Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia 6-4 6-2; Russian no. 9 Elena Dementieva ousted countrywoman no. 5 Anastasia Myskina 2-6 6-1 6-1; Russian no. 12 Elena Bovina beat no. 7 Amanda Coetzer of South Africa 6-2 6-1, and Russian no. 10 Vera Zvonareva took no. 8 Jelena Dokic of Serbia and Montenegro 6-3 6-2.
Bureau Report
Clijsters looked as if she were headed for an easy victory against Krasnoroutskaya, winning the opening set in only 17 minutes. But her unforced errors increased in the last two sets.
Clijsters won a tournament in Carson, California, on Sunday, and she said that meant she didn't have enough time to prepare properly for this hard-court event.
"I just don't think that I had the right preparation. Especially with the traveling," she said. "But I decided to play. I think today was just one match too much. I just ran out of batteries in the second and the third."
She was playing for the 5th straight week. In another upset, unseeded Paola Suarez of Argentina defeated no 4 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-2 6-0.
In other matches involving seeded players, Belgian no. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne topped Russian no. 14 Nadia Petrova 6-3 7-5; no. 3 Amelie Mauresmo of France defeated Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia 6-4 6-2; Russian no. 9 Elena Dementieva ousted countrywoman no. 5 Anastasia Myskina 2-6 6-1 6-1; Russian no. 12 Elena Bovina beat no. 7 Amanda Coetzer of South Africa 6-2 6-1, and Russian no. 10 Vera Zvonareva took no. 8 Jelena Dokic of Serbia and Montenegro 6-3 6-2.
Bureau Report