Kanepi out in first round in Melbourne
Kaia Kanepi put high hopes on the Australian Open, even defaulting in a minor tournament in order to prepare for today's match, but lost to lower-ranked Irina Falconi in her first match, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6.
In a match played in the small hours of Tuesday morning Estonia time, Falconi (WTA 111) battled back after losing the first set, 6-2. To that point, it seemed like a repeat of her previous meeting with the Estonian star (WTA 48), won handily by Kanepi.
Falconi won the second set, though, just as easily, and Kanepi seemed flustered in the early third set, falling behind four games to one. Otherwise the third set was tightly contested and could have gone either way.
The match was played in windy conditions in 1 hour and 53 minutes.
Falconi goes on to face either Madison Brengle or Andrea Petkovic.
Editor: K. Rikken