SYDNEY, Jan 7: American James Blake lost his chance to equal a 68-year record when he was knocked out of the Sydney International on Monday by Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.

Third-seed Blake had been bidding to win the title for the third year running, a feat last achieved in 1940 by the late John Bromwich, but was beaten 7-6, 6-2.

“Fabrice is a great player, he’s been around the tour for a while and knows how to win matches and give the top guys headaches,” said Blake, whose off-season was shortened by his commitments to the successful US Davis Cup team.

Santoro, 35, is one of the oldest players on the men’s tour but says he has lost none of his enthusiasm for the sport.

“I love the game and I love to play and fight,” he said. “What is going to push me out of the tour is being in the hotel, taking planes and having to leave my daughter and my friends.”

Santoro was one of three Frenchmen who recorded first round wins at Sydney’s Olympic tennis centre on Monday.

Top seed Richard Gasquet brushed past Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-6 while Sebastien Grosjean beat Australian wildcard Peter Luczak 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

With the top four seeds, headed by world number one Justine Henin, all given first round byes, there were no major casualties in the early women’s matches although fifth-seeded Russian teenager Anna Chakvetadze suffered a surprise loss to Slovakian Katarina Srebotnik 7-5, 6-1.

Sixth seed Daniela Hantuchova, also of Slovakia, almost came unstuck in her clash with Russian Dinara Safina when she dropped the opening set and trailed by a service break in the second before recovering to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

“For a first match of the year I couldn’t ask for a better start,” Hantuchova said. “I was just proud the way I was fighting. It was not easy.”

Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli completed a perfect first day for the French with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Italian Karin Knapp.

First-round results on Monday (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles: 1-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); Fabrice Santoro (France) bt 3-James Blake (US) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; Gilles Simon (France) bt Mardy Fish (US) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1; 8-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Agustin Calleri (Argentina) bt Greg Jones (Australia) 6-3, 6-2; Sebastien Grosjean (France) bt Peter Luczak (Australia) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0; 4-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) bt Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-1, 6-3.

Women’s singles: Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) bt Camille Pin (France) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2; Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) bt 8-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 6-1, 7-5; 7-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-1, 6-0; Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) bt Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6); 6-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Dinara Safina (Russia) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Jill Craybas (US) 6-4, 6-4; Shahar Peer (Israel) bt Yuliana Fedak (Ukraine) 6-3, 6-2; Tatiana Golovin (France) bt Tzipora Obziler (Israel) 6-2, 6-3; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) bt 5-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 7-5, 6-1.

OPEN DILEMMA

HOBART: Former world number four Jelena Dokic won her first competitive match on the WTA tour in almost three years when she beat Germany’s Martina Mueller 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 in the first round of the Hobart International on Monday.The victory, however, has created a dilemma for the 24-year-old, who was not given a wildcard for the Australian Open.

The wildcard qualifying tournament for the season-opening Grand Slam begins in Melbourne on Thursday and if Dokic continues her winning form in Hobart, the Australian must decide whether or not to abandon the Tasmanian event or head to Melbourne Park.Dokic, who beat two players in the world’s top-100 in qualifying for the Hobart tournament and was impressive in her victory against the 54th-ranked Meuller, said she would not make a decision on the rest of the week until after her second round match against Italy’s Flavia Penetta.

Penetta earned a second-round match with Dokic by upsetting fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

Radwanska was not the only seed to fall on Monday, with fifth seed Victoria Azarenka and ninth seed Gisela Dulko both retiring with injuries.

Belarus’s Azarenka withdrew while leading her match 3-1 in the first set against Olga Gorotsova while Argentina’s Dulko withdrew against Nuria Llagostera with the score at 6-3, 2-1 in favour of the Spaniard.

Top seed Alona Bondarenko from Ukraine beat Australia’s Jessica Moore 7-5, 6-2, while sixth seed Sania Mirza of India thrashed Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez 6-4, 6-0.

First-round results: 2-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) bt Olga Poutchkova (Russia) 6-3, 6-0; Raluca Olaru (Romania) bt Peng Shuai (China) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; 1-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt Jessica Moore (Australia) 7-5, 6-2; Jelena Dokic (Australia) bt Martina Mueller (Germany) 6-4, 0-6, 6-2; Olga Govortsova (Belarus) bt 5-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 1-3 – Azarenka retired; Edina Gallovits (Romania) bt Alberta Brianti (Italy) 6-2, 6-3; Ashley Harkleroad (US) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) 6-4 6-3; Meilen Tu (US) bt Emilie Loit (France) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; 6-Sania Mirza (India) bt Lourdes Dominguez (Spain) 6-4, 6-0; Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2; Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) bt Monique Adamczak (Australia) 6-3, 6-2; Nuria Llagostera (Spain) bt 9-Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-3 2-1 – Dulko retired; Anna Lapushchenkova (Russia) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-3, 6-4.—Reuters