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German Open: Razzano beats Sugiyami
Virginie Razzano of France upset 14th-seeded Ai Sugiyami of Japan 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 Monday in the first round of the German Open.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:35 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Berlin:
Virginie Razzano of France upset 14th-seeded Ai Sugiyami of Japan 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 on Monday in the first round of the German Open. Top-ranked Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne will first see action on Wednesday. They have won the last five German Opens between them. Also Monday, Anne Kremer beat Ivana Lisjak, 6-0, 7-6 (4), 15th-seeded Maria Kirilenko topped Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-3, Anna Chakvetadze downed Iveta Benesova 6-1, 6-3; and Anna Smashnova defeated Ekaterina Bychkova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at the clay-court tuneup for the French Open. Mauresmo, Henin-Hardenne and fourth-ranked Nadia Petrova are among the Roland Garros favorites, starting May 29. Henin-Hardenne won the German and French Opens in 2003 and '05. Her other Berlin title was in 2002. Martina Hingis, seeking her first title since her January comeback, is also in the Berlin field. ''I always play well in Berlin before I win the French Open,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ''It gives you confidence to show you are strong. But there are no rules on how to win a grand slam.'' Mauresmo, who captured the German Open in 2001 and '04, in January won the Australian Open - her first grand slam title in 11 years on tour. With that triumph and her top ranking, the 27-year-old Frenchwoman has achieved two of her goals. ''Those are why you have emotions on court, that is what you work for,'' Mauresmo said. ''But I have had so many great things happen to me, the way I look at it, anything else is just extra.'' Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne regard Petrova and Kim Clijsters, who isn't playing in Berlin but won in Warsaw on Sunday, as the biggest threats at Roland Garros. When Petrova lost year's final to Henin-Hardenne, she had never won a singles tournament. Petrova has since won four tournaments, including American clay-court events in Charleston and Amelia Island this year. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis Virginie Razzano
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