Mauresmo ousted from Australian Open warm-up

SYDNEY – Amelie Mauresmo’s Australian Open preparation was thrown into disarray yesterday when the world number three failed in her first match at the Sydney International warm-up event.

Unfancied Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic produced a giant-killing performance to eliminate the Frenchwoman in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 at the Sydney Olympic Tennis Centre. The loss was a major setback for former number one Mauresmo, leaving her short of match practice ahead of next week’s season-opening Grand Slam in Melbourne.Mauresmo, the tournament second seed who won here in 2000 and was runner up in 2004, blamed the loss on a lack of matches, pointing out that her opponent had already had two competitive hit-outs this month.”She played better than me today,” Mauresmo told reporters.”I probably would have needed at least one match before playing against her.She’s playing well …that’s just the way it is.”Mauresmo said she would continue with her doubles commitment at the Sydney tournament as a means of “hanging in there” in competitive matches ahead of the Australian Open.”That’s why I came to Sydney — to feel the atmosphere of competing and playing in an official match,” she said.”It feels quite (different) to a practice match.”Mauresmo won her first major title in November with the WTA Tour championship and is yet to claim a Grand Slam, coming closest in 1999 when she reached the Australian Open final but lost to Martina Hingis.For Ivanovic, the win consolidated the steady progress that saw the 18-year-old rise from 97 in 2004 to end the season ranked 16.Earlier, Kim Clijsters swept aside China’s Li Na in straight sets in her first Australian appearance since splitting from local hero and ex-fiance Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.The Belgian disposed of Li 6-3, 6-1 in 53 minutes, although she said her 23-year-old opponent provided some tough match practice on the hardcourt surface.Despite struggling with the heat, the 22-year-old looked sharp covering the court.She said she prepared for her Australian campaign by taking extended saunas at her home in Belgium but still found the heat difficult after coming straight from winning the Champions Challenge in chilly Hong Kong last weekend.”I was struggling so much at the start of the first set …my skin was burning,” she said.Once known as “Aussie Kim,” Clijsters, who won the Sydney International in 2003, said she enjoyed the support from the Australian crowd, which obviously bore no resentment over her dumping of favourite son Hewitt.”I feel good here and the people were very supportive today as well, it was fun for me to be out there,” she said.Elsewhere in the women’s draw, world number eight and tournament fifth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne brushed aside Russian Vera Dushevina 6-2, 6-2.Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced after compatriot Dinara Safina, the sister of Marat Safin, retired hurt with blisters on her foot.-Nampa-AFPThe loss was a major setback for former number one Mauresmo, leaving her short of match practice ahead of next week’s season-opening Grand Slam in Melbourne.Mauresmo, the tournament second seed who won here in 2000 and was runner up in 2004, blamed the loss on a lack of matches, pointing out that her opponent had already had two competitive hit-outs this month.”She played better than me today,” Mauresmo told reporters.”I probably would have needed at least one match before playing against her.She’s playing well …that’s just the way it is.”Mauresmo said she would continue with her doubles commitment at the Sydney tournament as a means of “hanging in there” in competitive matches ahead of the Australian Open.”That’s why I came to Sydney — to feel the atmosphere of competing and playing in an official match,” she said.”It feels quite (different) to a practice match.”Mauresmo won her first major title in November with the WTA Tour championship and is yet to claim a Grand Slam, coming closest in 1999 when she reached the Australian Open final but lost to Martina Hingis.For Ivanovic, the win consolidated the steady progress that saw the 18-year-old rise from 97 in 2004 to end the season ranked 16.Earlier, Kim Clijsters swept aside China’s Li Na in straight sets in her first Australian appearance since splitting from local hero and ex-fiance Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.The Belgian disposed of Li 6-3, 6-1 in 53 minutes, although she said her 23-year-old opponent provided some tough match practice on the hardcourt surface.Despite struggling with the heat, the 22-year-old looked sharp covering the court.She said she prepared for her Australian campaign by taking extended saunas at her home in Belgium but still found the heat difficult after coming straight from winning the Champions Challenge in chilly Hong Kong last weekend.”I was struggling so much at the start of the first set …my skin was burning,” she said.Once known as “Aussie Kim,” Clijsters, who won the Sydney International in 2003, said she enjoyed the support from the Australian crowd, which obviously bore no resentment over her dumping of favourite son Hewitt.”I feel good here and the people were very supportive today as well, it was fun for me to be out there,” she said.Elsewhere in the women’s draw, world number eight and tournament fifth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne brushed aside Russian Vera Dushevina 6-2, 6-2.Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced after compatriot Dinara Safina, the sister of Marat Safin, retired hurt with blisters on her foot.-Nampa-AFP