Sports News

Chakvetadze a rare French upset victim

Published: May 29, 2008 at 5:06 PM
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Up and coming Russian sensation, Anna Chakvetadza returns the ball from Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska on the second day of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday February 26, 2008. Chakvetadze won the match 6-2 2-6 6-4. (UPI Photo/Norbert Schiller)
Up and coming Russian sensation, Anna Chakvetadza returns the ball from Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska on the second day of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday February 26, 2008. Chakvetadze won the match 6-2 2-6 6-4. (UPI Photo/Norbert Schiller) | Enlarge Enlarge
PARIS, May 29 (UPI) -- Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams notched straight-set victories Thursday in second-round play at the French Open.

Rain again caused delays and pushed back play, but all except four Thursday matches were completed. One of those still undetermined had world No. 1 Maria Sharapova leading Bethanie Mattek, 6-2, 2-3. Sharapova had broken Mattek's serve when play was stopped because of darkness.

Jankovic, seeded third, was a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) winner over Marina Erakovic; Kuznetsova ran past Vania King, 6-4, 6-2; Dementieva routed Marta Domachowska, 6-1, 6-4; and Williams, seeded eighth, had a seemingly easy 6-2, 6-4 win over Selima Sfar.

Sixth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze was a straight-set upset victim, falling, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), to Kaia Kanepi and 21st-seeded Maria Kirilenko lost, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, to Jie Zheng.

The mood of the French crowd was doused with the loss by local favorite Amelie Mauresmo to qualifier Suarez Navarro, 6-3, 6-4.

Also winning Thursday were 12th-seeded Agnes Szavay, No. 13-seeded Dinara Safina, 16th-seeded Victoria Azarenka, 18-seeded Francesca Schiavone, 19-seeded Alize Cornet, 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta, No. 27-seeded Katarina Srebotnik; and 28th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova ran by Milagros Sequera, 6-3, 6-0.

A very mild upset came when Olga Govortsova grounded 31st-seeded Ai Sugiyama, 6-0, 7-5. Casey Dellacqua, Iveta Benesova and Petra Cetkovska also won second-round matches Thursday.


© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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