Bovina in straight-set win at Qatar Open

Doha: Sixth seed Elena Bovina of Russia returned to the court for the first time in three-and-a-half months, beating Shinobu Asagoe of Japan in straight sets in the first round of the USD 600,000 Qatar Open. Playing chiefly from the baseline, 21-year-old Bovina won 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) for her first victory yesterday in three tries against the 28-year-old Asagoe. "I am happy that I managed to win my first match," said Bovina, who battled a variety of injuries last season and had not played since reaching the final in Linz, Austria in October. "I was a bit slow at the start but I am glad I did not lose the tiebreaker. I got good match practice." Italy's Francesca Schiavone earned the first upset of the tournament, beating seventh-seeded compatriot Silvia Farina Elia, 6-1, 6-3, while Paola Suarez of Argentina also was eliminated, beaten by Marion Bartoli of France 6-1, 6-1. In another first-round match yesterday, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic beat Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela 6-1, 6-0. Ranked 16th by the WTA Tour, Bovina traded breaks with Asagoe to open the match, but earned two more in games four and 12 to claim the first set in 43 minutes. Forced to a tiebreaker in the second set, the six-foot-two Bovina overpowered the five-foot-seven Asagoe, establishing a 6-3 lead before finally prevailing in 1:45. The top four seeds in Doha, Amelie Mauresmo of France, Maria Sharapova of Russia, Anastasia Myskina, also of Russia, and Alicia Molik of Australia have been given a bye in their first-round matches. The four players will take the court on Wednesday. (AP)