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Little rust Dementieva wins opening match in Hong Kong
Updated: Thursday January 04, 2001 11:46 AM
HONG KONG (AP) -- Russia's Elena Dementieva beat American Lisa Raymond 6-2, 6-4 Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Watson's Water Challenge exhibition tournament. Playing her first match since winning silver at last summer's Sydney Olympics, the 12th-ranked Dementieva proved more than a handful for the 27-year-old Raymond despite her long absence from the circuit. "I'm glad that I won my first match because it has been a while since I last played in a competitive match," said the 19-year-old Dementieva, seeded second in the eight-woman tournament. "I had a few problems with my wrist tonight but it wasn't so bad." Raymond applauded Dementieva's performance, saying she was "getting better and better." "She's a great player. Every time I had a break point, she would win a big point," said Raymond. On Friday, Dementieva will play Australia's Jelena Dokic for a place in Saturday's final. The Australian advanced into the semifinal after her opponent American Chanda Rubin retired from the match due to a knee injury. The 13th-ranked Rubin won the first set against Dokic 6-3, but was trailing 4-1 in the second set when she retired. The tournament, seen as a warm-up for the upcoming Australian Open, features eight players.
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