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Dokic done Australian star loses to Kuti Kis in first round
Posted: Monday January 17, 2000 11:05 PM
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Australian star Jelena Dokic beat her opponent in almost every statistical category Monday - aces, double faults, winners, errors. What she didn't have were more points. The 16-year-old, who splashed onto the tennis scene by knocking off Martina Hingis en route to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, lost to Hungary's Rita Kuti Kis 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in the first round of the Australian Open. Dokic was then fined $2,500 for showing up five hours late for a post-match news conference in the tennis center. She said she spent part of the afternoon in a church. "I prayed to play a bit better than I did today," Dokic said. Another player burdened with high expectations, Alexandra Stevenson, also bowed out. An American qualifier who ended Dokic's Wimbledon streak before losing in the semifinal, Stevenson was swept out of Australia's Grand Slam tournament by Asa Carlsson of Sweden 7-6 (8-6), 6-3. "A lot of them are pretty smart on the court. I'm still learning that," Stevenson said of her latest loss. The Yugoslav-born Dokic was less elegant in defeat, saying only three or four players in the world could beat her if she were to play as well in matches as she does in practice. Kuti Kis, she said, is not one of them. "I lost to a player today that, you know, never has been a player and I guess probably never will be," said Dokic, who spoke almost wistfully of her days of anonymity early last year, when the only direction she could go was up. Dokic, ranked 39th in the world, won 88 points, four less than the 86th-ranked Kuti Kis. Dokic served eight aces and nine double faults; Kuti Kis had no aces and one double fault. The powerful Dokic dictated the course of the match, drilling winners down the lines in the brief moments when her game connected, flailing balls wide the rest of the time. Armed with a loopy serve, her left-handed opponent scored a few groundstroke winners but often seemed an onlooker. Both players shunned the net. Dokic, who showed up five hours later than expected for a post-match news conference in the tennis center, said she spent part of the afternoon in a church. "I prayed to play a bit better than I did today," said Dokic.
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