Li Na wins as Peng Shuai crashes
Updated: 2008-02-13 09:22
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Li Na, seen here on February 03, 2008, continued her storming 2008 comeback after a six-month injury absence, crushing Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the WTA Diamond Games on Monday. [Agencies] |
ANTWERP, Belgium - China's Li Na continued her storming 2008 comeback after a six-month injury absence, crushing Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the WTA Diamond Games on Monday.
But Belgian Yanina Wickmayer ambushed Peng Shuai, eliminating the Chinese player 6-0, 6-4 and won into a match with third seed Daniela Hantuchova.
Ninth seed Li, who got her seeding when Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew after winning the Pattaya title in Thailand, will await an opponent from Israeli Tzipora Oblizer, oldest woman in the field at age 34, and Slovak Dominika Cibulkova.
The 25-year-old Li, ranked 33, showed more of the dominating form that took her to a title last month on Australia's Gold Coast.
Despite losing at the Australian Open to Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska, Li, coached by husband Jiang Shan, helped China over France at the Fed Cup.
Li raced through the opening set in 25 minutes and was untroubled in the second as she earned her ninth victory of the comeback season.
There was no luck for fifth seed Sybille Bammer, knocked out by unheralded Russian Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.
The first-round shock from a player who had lost four of her previous five matches - including last month in Australia to unranked Jelena Dokic - handed the Austrian her exit papers at the Sportpaleis.
Mother-of-one Bammer contributed to her own downfall, losing the opening set to love and producing six double-faults in an 89-minute contest. The Austrian ranked 20 was broken six times as her fight-back attempt stalled.
Shvedova, 75th, lost in the Australian Open second round and went out in the Pattaya first-round last week. She will face Italian Karin Knapp, who beat Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
World number one Justine Henin heads the field as she plays the home event for only the third time in Flemish-speaking Antwerp, Europe's diamond-dealing capital.
She lost a 2002 debut final to Venus Williams and went down to former rival Kim Clijsters in the semis a year later.
The event is in its final year after a WTA calendar revision which comes into force in 2009.
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