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One, two punch Top seeds fall at Australian women's hardcourt
Posted: Wednesday January 05, 2000 12:11 PM
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) -- Top draw Anna Kournikova and top seed Julie Halard-Decugis were beaten Wednesday at the Australian women's hardcourt tennis championships. The French top seed lost 6-0, 6-1 to Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva. The 18-year-old Kournikova was beaten 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 by Croatia's top player, seventh-seeded Silvija Talaja, in the packed 1,500-seat stadium at Royal Pines Resort. Playing in her 66th tournament since joining the women's tennis tour as a 13-year-old satellite player in 1994, the Miami-based Kournikova is still searching for a title. In the four years since turning professional, the Russian has been a finalist twice, semifinalist seven times and a quarterfinalist eight times. Kournikova had an easy ride into the quarterfinals of the Gold Coast event -- a bye in the first round before her second-round opponent, German qualifier Jana Kandarr, retired with an injury after losing the first set. Kournikova took the first set against Talaja, winning the last five games after being down 4-1. Kournikova struggled to hold serve in the second set, which went to Talaja in just over 30 minutes.
The Russian then gave away a 2-1 lead in the final set to let the 21-year-old Croat cruise home.
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