EASTBOURNE (England), June 17: Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo beat Alize Cornet 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 here on Monday to brush aside memories of last year’s final defeat at these WTA Eastbourne Championships.

Mauresmo needed just under two hours to claim victory in the all-French battle against the teenaged rising star.

Aravane Rezai got another win for the French, reaching the second round as fifth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus retired trailing 6-2.

Australian Samantha Stosur kick-started her grass court campaign after a second-round loss a week ago in Birmingham as a qualifier, dashing the home hope of Katie O’Brien 6-4, 6-3.

But China’s Li Na brushed aside Perth’s Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 6-4 in a split decision on the opening day for Aussie competitors.

Russian eighth seed Nadia Petrova advanced over Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-2 with the Israeli making an unsuccessful start on grass after losing her last three events of the clay season.

Mauresmo, a former number one ranked 30th, is recovering from a dismal clay court season after winning just one match at Roland Garros before losing to a Spanish qualifier.

Mauresmo, winner of 24 career titles including Wimbledon and the Australian Open, swept the first set against Cornet, ten years her junior at age 18.

After Cornet struck back by taking the second, Mauresmo overcame her seventh double-fault to hold for 5-5 in the final set.

Mauresmo reached 6-5 and put the victory away a game later on the first of two match points as Nice-born Cornet returned long.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

First round: Aravane Rezai (France) bt 5-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 6-2

Ret; Gisela Dulko (Argentina) bt Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; 8-Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-2, 6-2; Li Na (China) bt Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-2, 6-4; Amelie Mauresmo (France) bt 6-Alize Cornet (France) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Katie O’Brien (Britain) 6-4, 6-3.

CILIC SHOCKS MATHIEU

NOTTINGHAM (England): Croatia’s Marin Cilic upset second-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the Nottingham Open.

The Nottingham Open match was the second time the pair had met in a week, and a reversal of fortunes, after Mathieu knocked Cilic out of the Queen’s Club tournament in the second round.

Defending champion and fourth-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia beat two-time former champion Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden 6-3, 6-4.

Meanwhile, Julien Benneteau of France defeated Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-1, 6-4, and American Bobby Reynolds beat Nicolas Mahut of France 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Results:

First round: 6-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 7-5, 6-4; Sam Querrey (US) bt Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 6-3, 6-4; 4-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) 6-3, 6-4; Bobby Reynolds (US) bt Nicolas Mahut (France) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; 7-Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Dudi Sela (Israel)

3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Marin Cilic (Croatia) bt 2-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; Julien Benneteau (France) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-1, 6-4.

LJUBICIC ADVANCES

DEN BOSCH (The Netherlands): Ivan Ljubicic began his title defence at the Ordina Open by beating Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in the first round on Monday.

The fourth-seeded Croat last year won his only grass-court title at this Wimbledon warm-up.

Second-seeded Richard Gasquet of France beat Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) to advance to the second round, along with countryman Arnaud Clement, who defeated Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

French Open finalist Dinara Safina, seeded third, beat Pauline Parmentier of France 6-4, 6-1 in the women’s event.

Michaella Krajicek fired 10 aces and needed a tense third set tiebreak to oust Japan’s Ai Sugiyama 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), and India’s Sania Mirza beat eighth-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-3.

Results:

First round: 7-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) bt Mischa Zverev (Germany) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; Rohan Bopanna (India) bt Martin Verkerk (Netherlands) 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4; 4-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Robin Haase (Netherlands) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Arnaud Clement (France) bt Benjamin Becker (Germany) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Viktor Troicki (Serbia) bt Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) 6-3, 7-5; Massimo Dellacqua (Italy) bt Fabio Fognini (Italy) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; 2-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3); Marc Gicquel (France) bt Matwe Middelkoop (Netherlands) 6-4, 6-1; Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) bt 8-Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-3, 6-1; Marcel Granollers (Spain) bt Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) 6-0, 1-0 – Vliegen retired.—Agencies