The Hindu : Sport : So far so good for Serena

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Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007
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So far so good for Serena

BACK IN HER STRIDE: Serena Williams, on a comeback trail following a four-month injury layoff, posted an easy win over Lucie Safarova. — PHOTO: AFP

HOBART: Serena Williams won her second straight match in her comeback after a four-month injury layoff, beating Lucie Safarova 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) on Tuesday at the Hobart International.

Playing just 18 hours after her first-round, straight-sets win over Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden, Williams took advantage of Safarova's poor serving. The Czech player double-faulted on her first serve in the third-set tie-breaker, then again to give Williams a match point.

Williams, recovering from ankle and knee injuries, has not played a tournament since the U.S. Open in early September.

``I was really happy to win because I wasn't ready to go home yet,'' Williams said. ``I want at least one more match here before the Australian Open. It just boiled down to me not making as many mistakes.''

Sania Mirza sustained her sparkling form to move into the singles quarterfinals with a commendable win over Romina Oprandi of Italy.

Wild card entrant Sania, ranked 66th in the world, downed Oprandi 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-0 in the second round at the $145,000 hardcourt event on the WTA Tour. In other second-round play on Tuesday, top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze beat Russian compatriot Olga Poutchkova 7-6(6), 7-5.

Precautionary measure

Pulling out of the Sydney International with a groin problem was precautionary for Rafael Nadal, who decided a twinge was not worth risking his Australian Open chances.

``Yes, yes, yes, I'm going to play for sure, nothing is broke, it's just tight,'' Nadal said of his Australian Open aspirations.

The two-time French Open champion was due to serve to stay in the first set at 5-6 against Australian wild-card entry Chris Guccione on Tuesday when he decided to concede the match following advice from the trainer.

``I asked for the physio and he said if you're going to play on, it's going to get worse.''

The 20-year-old Spaniard, the top-seeded player in Sydney, had initially called for a medical timeout after the seventh game to allow the trainer to massage his right leg.

Nadal said he felt the injury on the plane trip from India on Monday following his surprise loss to Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the semifinals at Chennai. Nadal was among four retirements at the Sydney tournament on Tuesday. Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand (wrist) also pulled out on the men's side, while in the women's draw former U.S. Open champion and second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova (respiratory virus) and No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia (abdominal strain) both quit their matches early.

In doubles Leander Paes and Czech Republic's Martin Damm defeated Lukas Dlouzy and Pavel Vizner 7-6(2), 6-2 in their opening round tie. The reigning U.S. Open champions, who reached the final of the Qatar Open in Doha last week, were seeded fourth. India's Mahesh Bhupathi and his French partner Fabrice Santoro registered a facile 6-4, 6-3 win over the Israeli pair of Jonathon Erlich and Andy Ram.

Rain prevented play on the second day of the $416,000 Heineken Open on Tuesday, washing out eight singles and four doubles matches.

The results:

At Hobart: Hobart International: Second round: Serena Williams bt Lucie Safarova 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5); Catalina Castano bt Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-2; Zheng Jie bt Severine Bremond 6-1, 6-3; Sybille Bammer bt Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-3; Vasilisa Bardina bt Aiko Nakamura 6-4, 6-4; Sania Mirza bt Romina Oprandi 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-0; Alicia Molik bt Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 7-5; Anna Chakvetadze bt Olga Poutchkova 7-6(6), 7-5. First round: Olga Poutchkova bt Tzipora Obziler 0-6, 6-2, 7-6(5).

At Sydney: Sydney International: Men: Singles: First round: James Blake bt Kevin Kim 6-3, 6-4; Ivo Minar bt Paradorn Srichaphan 6-2, 3-0, retd.; Richard Gasquet bt Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-4; Carlos Moya bt Luke Bourgeois 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6); Chris Guccione bt Rafael Nadal 6-5, retd.; Paul-Henri Mathieu bt Arnaud Clement 7-6(5), 6-4; Jurgen Melzer bt Fabrice Santoro 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Nathan Healey bt Stefan Koubek 6-3, 7-5; Nikolay Davydenko bt Vincent Spadea 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles: First round: Martin Damm (Cze)/ Leander Paes (Ind) bt Lukas Dlouhy/ Pavel Vizner (Cze) 7-6(2), 6-2; Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind)/ Fabrice Santoro (Fra) bt Jonathan Erlich/ Andy Ram (Isr) 6-4, 6-3.

Women: Singles: Second round: Amelie Mauresmo bt Tatiana Golovin 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1; Jelena Jankovic bt Samantha Stosur 6-2, 7-6(2); Shahar Peer bt Patty Schnyder 7-6(3), 6-2; Nicole Vaidisova bt Yuliana Fedak 6-3, 6-1; Kim Clijsters bt Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-2; Li Na bt Elena Dementieva 3-6, 6-1, 7-5; Katarina Srebotnik bt Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, retd.; Ana Ivanovic bt Nadia Petrova 6-2, 4-2, retd. — Agencies

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