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Upsets rule Kournikova, Sanchez-Vicario among victims in Berlin
Posted: Wednesday May 10, 2000 04:31 PM
BERLIN (AP) -- Russia's Anna Kournikova made a dramatic exit at the German Open Wednesday, falling to the ground writhing in pain as she sprained her left ankle in a loss to Spain's Gala Leon Garcia. The photogenic teenager, seeded seventh, got up but Leon Garcia closed out her 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win on the next point, ending a nearly 2 1/2 struggle in which Kournikova twice lay on the court and was treated for injuries. Kournikova will undergo further examination for the ankle, but has dropped out of the doubles at the upset-plagued $1.08 million event. Trailing 4-5 in the final set, Kournikova took a backhand swing and fell to the ground clutching her ankle in front of 7,500 spectators who had crowded center court to see the popular teen. The 18-year-old lay on the court for a few minutes with her face covered by a towel and was treated by the courtside trainer, before resuming play and losing on the next rally. Kournikova had already been treated once during the game, laying down on the court after complaining of stiffness in her arm. That came right after se warded off Leon Garcia's first match point at 30-40 with her own backhand shot. The injuries capped a dramatic match in which Kournikova see-sawed between spectacular winners and easy errors against Leon Garcia, a clay court specialist ranked 54 places beneath her at 68th. In the second set, the Russian squandered five set points by gambling on blasting winners before sending the match into a deciding se by lashing a forehand down the line. The tournament, whose field has already been depleted by withdrawal and upsets, also lost some more big names when world No. 3 Nathalie Tauziat of France was trounced in straight sets, while compatriot Amelie Mauresmo and Spain's Aranxa Sanchez-Vicario also were bounced. South Africa's Joannette Kruger ousted the second-seeded Tauziat, France, 6-2, 6-0, Argentina's Paola Suarez downed Mauresmo, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Russia's Elena Dementieva outlasted Sanchez-Vicario, 4-6, 5-7, 6-2. Lindsay Davenport chose not to enter and Serena Williams withdrew with a leg injury, stripping top-ranked Martina Hingis of some of her toughest competitors as she defends the title she won last year and prepares for the upcoming French Open. France's Sandrine Testud, seeded fifth, advanced into the third round by ousting American Corina Morariu, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), while eighth-seeded German Anke Huer struggled to beat Angeles Montolio, Spain, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. "I got off to a slow start -- thank God the match is history," said Huber, who had an 11-match winning streak snapped by Hingis in the semifinals of last week's Betty Barclay Cup. Alexandra Stevenson of the United States and 15th-seed Ruxandra Dragomir were both beaten, but 17-year-old Blanka Lamade of Germany delighted the home crowds with her second straight upset, ousting 14th-seeded Sabine Appelmans of Belgium. Lamade, a German wild card entry ranked 568th, beat Appelmans, 6-3, 6-1 while showing off some powerful ground strokes and keeping the world No. 26 off balance with drop shots. Playing just her fourth WTA event, Lamade had ousted 55th-ranked Irina Spirlea of Romania in her first-round match. "I had nothing to lose against Appelmans," shrugged Lamade. "I'm playing tennis for fun, not money."
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