TENNIS
Laura Robson falls to Angelique Kerber in just 68 minutes at the China OpenLaura Robson’s China Open campaign was brought to a swift end with a 6-1 6-2 second-round defeat by world No. 9 Angelique Kerber.
Laura Robson’s China Open campaign was brought to a swift end with a 6-1 6-2 second-round defeat by world No. 9 Angelique Kerber.
Kerber, fresh from her run to the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo at the
weekend, needed just 68 minutes to dispatch the British No. 1, who produced
an error-strewn display after battling past world No. 32 Klara Zakopalova in
the first round.
Robson’s serve proved to be her downfall against the German, who broke seven
times in total as the 19-year-old struggled to make any headway in the
match. Robson did hit back with two breaks of her own in the second set, but
the damage was done.
World No. 1 Serena Williams was made to work for her place in the third round
before wrapping up a 6-4 7-5 win over Francesca Schiavone, but Venus
Williams fell to a 6-1 6-2 defeat at the hands of Sabine Lisicki.
Fellow American Sloane Stephens saw off a second-set fightback from Canada’s
Eugenie Bouchard to set up a third round showdown against Caroline Wozniacki
with a 6-1 1-6 6-4 victory.
In the men’s draw, Rafael
Nadal's bid to regain the No. 1 ranking from Novak
Djokovic gathered pace with an opening 6-2 6-4 win over Colombian
qualifier Santiago Giraldo.
The Spaniard has failed to reach the final at just one tournament in 2013, and repeating the feat in Beijing will see him return to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time since July 2011.
Djokovic, who must win the tournament to retain top spot, made light work of Lukas Rosol, beating the Czech 6-0 6-3 in just 54 minutes.
The Spaniard has failed to reach the final at just one tournament in 2013, and repeating the feat in Beijing will see him return to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time since July 2011.
Djokovic, who must win the tournament to retain top spot, made light work of Lukas Rosol, beating the Czech 6-0 6-3 in just 54 minutes.
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