DUBAI, Feb 17: Svetlana Kuznetsova was dumped out of the WTA Dubai Championships on Monday but Ana Ivanovic avenged her Australian Open defeat by beating Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-4.

A year after reaching the final in Dubai, Kuznetsova’s challenge ended in the second round when she fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 to fellow Russian Elena Vesnina.

Kuznetsova failed to find any rhythm except for a short spell in the second set and in the final set qualifier Vesnina had to do little more than wait for the seventh seed to make an error.

Having built and lost a 4-1 lead in the opening set, the eighth-seeded Serbian broke to love to claim the set.The former world number one had to save numerous break points against her in the second set before breaking again in the final game to seal the match.

In the first-round matches, 11th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli saved three match points before edging past Japan’s Ai Sugiyama 6-0, 4-6, 7-6.

Ayumi Morita capitalised on her last-minute entry into the draw by heaping more misery on 15th seed Anna Chakvetadze.

The Russian, who has won just three matches in total in her last eight tournaments stretching back to last August, was beaten 7-5, 6-2.

Japan’s Morita was granted a place in the draw because Israel’s Shahar Peer was forced to withdraw after she was denied a visa to enter the country.

Ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska was defeated 6-4, 6-3 by her 121st ranked younger sister Urszula in their first meeting on the WTA Tour.

Organisers said former champion Amelie Mauresmo, who won the Paris Open on Sunday, pulled out of the tournament.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Second round: 8-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 7-5, 6-4; Elena Vesnina (Russia) bt 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

First round: Sania Mirza (India) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; 14-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) bt Andreja Klepac (Slovenia) 6-3, 6-1; Camille Pin (France) bt Agnes Szavay (Hungary) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; 10-Alize Cornet (France) beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) 6-4, 6-1; Ayumi Morita (Japan) bt 15-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; 12-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) bt Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-4, 6-2; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-4, 6-3; 11-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-0, 4-6, 7-6(6); Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-4, 6-3; Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-1, 6-1; Monica Niculescu (Romania) bt Peng Shuai (China) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2; Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 7-5, 6-2; Virginie Razzano (France) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) 7-5, 6-2; Urszula Radwanska (Poland) bt 9-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4, 6-3.

RUSSIAN SEEDS FALL

MEMPHIS (Tennessee): Russian seed Igor Andreev and Alla Kudryavtseva made first-round exits while some impressive qualifiers advanced at the 1.22 million-dollar WTA and ATP hardcourt tournament here on Monday.

Sixth seed Andreev was ousted by compatriot Igor Kunitsyn 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Andreev, ranked 22nd, fell to 0-4 this season with his third first-round ouster in a row.

Australian qualifier Chris Guccione fired 19 aces and denied Vince Spadea’s three break-point chances to eliminate the American 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5) while Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela beat American Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

On the women’s side, Dutch qualifier Michaella Krajicek upset Russian seventh seed Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-4, but five other women’s seeds advanced.

Results:

Men’s:

First round: Chris Guccione (Australia) bt Vincent Spadea (US) 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5); Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) bt 6-Igor Andreev (Russia) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; Dudi Sela (Israel) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Women’s:

First round: 3-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) bt Melanie South (Great Britain) 6-2, 6-2; 6-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) bt Ekaterina Bychkova (Russia) 6-3, 6-3; Michaella Krajicek (Netherlands) bt 7-Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) 6-1, 6-4; Vania King (US) bt Alexandra Stevenson (US) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Michelle Larcherde Brito (Portugal) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-2, 6-0; Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (France) bt Alexa Glatch (US) 6-3, 6-3; 8-Pauline Parmentier (France) bt Julie Coin (France) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-1; 4-Anne Keothavong (Great Britain) bt Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; 2-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Varvara Lepchenko (US) 6-2, 6-2.

BERDYCH OUSTED

MARSEILLE: Fifth seed Tomas Berdych was knocked out in the first round of the Marseille Open, losing 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 to Mikhail Youzhny on Monday.

The hard-hitting Russian next meets Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz or Italian Andreas Seppi.World number 62 Youzhny won the opening set after breaking serve in the third game.

Czech Berdych levelled by taking the second-set tiebreak 7-2 but the world number 24 ran out of steam in the decider, bowing out on the first match point after two hours 22 minutes.

Results:

First round: 8-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) bt Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt 5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-1; Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) bt Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.—Agencies