Sunfeast Open: Sunitha Rao loses in straight sets

The last flicker of hope of an Indian challenge at the WTA Sony Ericsson Sunfeast Open was snuffed out by Britain's Anne Keothovang who defeated Sunitha Rao in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, even as second seed Daniela Hantuchova and seventh seed Flavia Pannetta sailed through here Thursday.

Anne played an all-round better game, taming the Indian wildcard in straight sets. To add to her woes, the World No 211 had a series of unforced errors to further spoil her chances.

Anne was always attacking her service game and Sunitha came under a lot of pressure, conceding the fourth and eighth games to lose the first set
3-6.

In the second set, the two traded a break in the third and fourth games, but Anne thereafter broke Sunitha in the fifth and seventh games to seal the fate of the match.

After the match, Sunitha said, 'I am disappointed. I think I had too many errors.'
Slovakian Hantuchova took less than an hour to dismiss 6-2, 6-1 Russian Anastasia Rodionova, who had no answer to the rich array of backhand, forehand and drop-volleys.

The match began on an even note but it changed sharply in the sixth game, when Hantuchova broke free of Rodionova forehands, coming to the net and meeting them with drop-volleys, and spoiled any chance of the Russian coming to the net with overhead lobs. The result- four games on a trot.

In the second set, Hantuchova ruled the court. Rodionova sneaked in to take the fourth game, saving the blushes of being blanked out.

After the match, the lanky Slovak said, 'At this moment, I'm doing all the right things. Hope this continues for the rest of the tournament.'

In another match, playing Uzbek Agul Amanmuradova, Italy's Pennetta, a baseliner to the core, kept firing forehands and double-handed backhands. Before she could get the measure of things, Pennetta sealed the first set 6-1.

In the second set, Agul did try to show some resistance and actually took the set to 3-3, before Pennetta opened her up to effect a break to go 5-3 up. The next game was cakewalk. Game set and match 6-1, 6-3.

American teenager Vania King, who created the biggest upset of the Sunfeast Open Tuesday by defeating top seed Marion Bartoli, failed to keep up the good work and tamely gave in to Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine 1-6, 2-6.

In a doubles' tie, King and Alla Kudryavtseva beat Delhi girl Tara Iyer and Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 5-7, 10-4.

Source: www.indiaenews.com/sports/20070921/71311.htm