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Tuesday January 1, 2008

Davenport eases into second round

AUCKLAND: Lindsay Davenport continued her tennis comeback with an easy win in the first round of the Auckland Classic women's tournament here yesterday, and said she believed she would keep getting better.

The unseeded Davenport had little trouble beating fellow American Laura Granville 6-2, 6-3.

Since rejoining the women's tour in September following the birth of her son Jagger, the former world number one has won two out of three tournaments in the run-up to the Australian Open, which starts in two weeks.

Although Davenport is now ranked 72 to Granville's 61, there was no doubting the class of the triple Grand Slam winner.

“I had a lot of opportunities there and a few game points that I didn't take so the score could have been a little different,” she said.

“I know I can keep getting better.”

Davenport's second round opponent will be fifth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who beat Australia's Nicole Pratt 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

France’s eighth seed Emilie Loit fell in the first round to Ashley Harkleroad of the United States 6-4, 6-1.

Sixth seeded Austrian Tamira Paszek beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 7-6 (9-7), 6-1, while third seed Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia beat Russian Anastasia Rodionova in a bizarre spectacle.

Rodionova was in tears for much of the match, reportedly because problems with her contact lenses meant she could not see the ball properly. She retired midway through the second set, down 0-6, 0-3. – AFP

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