Raymond out, Hantuchova through, Petrova injured

TeamWTA pictures
By Etienne Stekelenburg
February 4 2004

Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria ousted American Lisa Raymond in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Raymond, who had a good start at the Australian Open, took the first set 6-4 but lost the following sets 2-6 and 3-6. Daniela Hantuchova revenged Alicia Molik who beat her at the Aussie Open.

Slovak Daniela Hantuchova ousted Australian Alicia Molik in three sets 6-1, 6-7 (7), 7-5. Hantuchova was defeated by the Australian Molik at the second round of the Australian Open. "It was very important for me to beat her," Hantuchova said. "It felt great," she said. "It was the third time we played each other and Alicia was a sort of becoming a nightmare for me." The victory didn’t come easy for Hantuchova. She wasted her first matchpoint in the second set tiebreak.

"I was in control and then fell apart in the second set," Hantuchova said. "I was able to come back and pull it out and the difference this time was attitude and confidence." Molik had a chance to break Hantuchova’s serve in the third set but the Slovak fought back and was very pleased with her mental ability to come back to win the point on her second matchpoint.

Russia’s Nadia Petrova was forced to pull out of the Tokyo Pan Pacific. She injured herself at the Uncle Toby’s Hardcourt Championships, straining her left buttock. Alina Jidkova took her place but was beaten in the first round.

Defending champion Lindsay Davenport of the USA hammered Venezuelan Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-2, 6-1 to step into the next round of the $US1.3 million Pan Pacific Open in Japan.

Jelena Dokic of Serbia Montenegro just made it into the next round after struggling against Cara Black of Zimbabwe in the first and second set 3-6, 6-7. She won the tiebreak in the second set that broke Blacks resistance.

Dokic won the deciding third set 6-1. Dokic said that for the first match of the year she played a good match specially fighting herself out of a difficult situation.