Tennis

Golovin upsets Vaidisova at Zurich Open

(AP)
Updated: 2006-10-18 13:44

ZURICH, Switzerland - Tatiana Golovin upset seventh-seeded Nicole Vaidisova 6-2, 6-0 Tuesday in the first round of the Zurich Open, eliminating the Czech from the race to qualify for the season-ending WTA Championship.

Sixth-seeded Patty Schnyder lost to Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 7-5, damaging her chances of qualifying for the WTA Championship. That allowed Nadia Petrova of Russia to qualify for the tournament in Madrid, Spain. Petrova is not playing in Zurich because of a chest injury.

The Zurich Open is the last big event before the tournament in Spain, and only the top eight players in the WTA Tour rankings qualify. Vaidisova is 11th.

"Tatiana played great. I had an off day," Vaidisova said. "Put those together and that's pretty much what happened. Everyone has their off days."

Golovin proved overpowering. In the two games she did lose, the Frenchwoman still had break points.

"I was definitely expecting a tougher match," she said. "But from the start I could feel she wasn't in it and I took advantage of it. I wanted it to be over fast. I wanted to put her head under water right away."

Schnyder, the 2002 champion, looked out of sorts against Hantuchova.

"It's tough to get your rhythm against her with her flat balls and strong serve," the Swiss star said. "I never got a feel for the court because I only got to practice on it 30 minutes on Sunday morning."

The Slovak will next face doubles partner Ai Sugiyama of Japan, who downed Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

The top three seeded players in Zurich — Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova — already have qualified for the WTA Championship. Fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva also is vying for a spot.

Swiss qualifier Timea Bacsinszky upset former French Open champion Anastasia Myskina 6-3, 6-3. Myskina, who last played at the U.S. Open, has been sidelined with a foot injury. The Russian has not won a match since Aug. 12.

Also, eighth-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy defeated Meilen Tu of the United States 6-2, 6-1; Shahar Peer of Israel beat Alicia Molik of Australia 6-1, 6-2; Maria Kirilenko of Russia eliminated Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 6-4, 7-6 (4); Jelena Jankovic of Serbia beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; and Nathalie Dechy of France downed Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-4.