ISTANBUL: Agnieszka Radwanska beat erratic titleholder Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-2 to start round-robin play at the WTA Championships yesterday.
Kvitova came into the encounter riding a 25-match winning streak indoors but she was in trouble immediately, losing the first three games. Although she recovered to level, Radwanska broke serve again and served out the set.
Kvitova dropped her first two service games of the second, and broke back once, but the former Wimbledon champion was unable to threaten the steadier Pole. It was only Kvitova’s second loss — and her first in four matches against Radwanska — in 28 indoor matches over two years. She was undefeated in winning the title last year.
Meantime, Maria Sharapova is not convinced it is a good idea to give first round losers at next year’s Australian Open a huge pay increase as part of a $4 million rise in overall prize money.
Tournament organizers announced earlier this month that the total prize money pool at the opening grand slam of 2013 had risen to $30 million, making it the richest event in tennis.
While the exact breakdown of prize money is yet to be announced, it is expected that the biggest increases will be weighted toward the early rounds — a move intended to counter concerns that lower-ranked players were struggling to sustain careers on the ATP and WTA Tours.
Roger Federer, president of the men’s ATP Player Council, has expressed sympathy with the rank and file players who rarely reach the latter rounds of major tournaments where the big money is made but Sharapova is not convinced it is a good move.
“I don’t know if I agree with a raise for a first-round loss,” the Russian, who is playing at the WTA Championships in Istanbul this week, was quoted in The Times yesterday.
Sharapova and the other seven competitors in Istanbul met with officials of the four grand slams on Monday.
“I think the compensation as you win more rounds is right, but I’m not sure about the first rounds,” added the French Open champion.
The rise in Australian Open prize money followed similar increases at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Tomic thrashed but Ebden wins for Australia
In Basel, Switzerland: Bernard Tomic was badly beaten in the first round for a third straight tournament, with the Australian No. 1 shunted out of the Swiss Indoors 6-0, 6-2 yesterday by Mikhail Youzhny.
Tomic, who just turned 20, has not won a match since the second round in Bangkok one month ago after losing early in Tokyo and Shanghai.
The 48th-ranked Tomic lost serve five times in the rout and managed only one ace as the experienced Russian sixth seed took just 56 minutes to wrap up his ticket to the secound round. Matthew Ebden however saved the day for Aussie pride with his defeat of Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
Ebden, ranked 115, never faced a break point against the lucky loser from qualifying as he won in just under 90 minutes.
The Australian will have a chance for revenge on Friday as he faces Tomic’s conqueror Youzhny.
Ebden is bidding for his third quarterfinal in a year after Atlanta in July and 2011 Shanghai.
Querrey beats Lopez in Valencia
In Valencia, Spain, Sam Querrey of the United States beat Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 7-6 (4) yesterday at the Valencia Open.
Top-seeded David Ferrer edged Olivier Rochus 7-5, 7-5 to reach the second round.
Rochus saved five break points before succumbing to Ferrer on serve in the 10th game of the second set. The fifth-ranked Spaniard held to win despite 42 unforced errors.
Also, Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine beat Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-3, 7-6 (5).
