Testy Venus crashes out

TENNIS/Australian Open First round results: The fall of a Williams sister no longer reverberates like a mighty oak crashing in the forest. Neither Venus nor Serena can ever be taken for granted at the four majors but such is their individual approach to preparation, eschewing the normal preparatory tournaments, that in the newly competitive women's world they have become increasingly likely to be found wanting.

Last year Venus was inconsolable after losing here to Australia's Alicia Molik, now sidelined by a virus, because the American believed she had a real chance of winning the tournament that her younger sister was to claim.

Yesterday's 2-6, 6-0, 9-7 defeat by the 18-year-old Bulgarian Tszvetana Pironkova, ranked 94th in the world, saw her altogether more sanguine although, when asked if she could ever recapture her former dominance, she snapped: "Believe what you want to. Guess what? I don't care."

Analysing either of the Williams sisters by what they say after a match, win or lose, is generally a waste of time, though on this occasion Venus pretty much told it as it was, admitting to her high proportion of basic errors, while praising her opponent's performance.

She had come unstuck against an even younger Bulgarian, Sesil Karatantcheva, at the French Open last year, although that defeat now has to be seen in the context of her opponent testing positive for nandrolone during the tournament, failing a second out-of-competition test last July and being banned for two years, subject to appeal.

Despite unforced errors multiplying beyond the half-century Venus claimed to be feeling upbeat. "I couldn't get it right but in general I have been playing really well." Had she not won Wimbledon last year, such words might have echoed with a hollow ring but that title made everybody sit up.

Serena, the reining champion, almost joined Venus in the trash can but eventually beat China's Na Li 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.

All Australia was aching for Jelena Dokic, back in the fold after years of angst under the influence of her father Damir, to make a winning return but she ran out of gas against Virginie Razzano, losing 3-6, 7-6, 6-1. Dokic, 22, showed flashes of the form that propelled her into the top five as a teenager and greater happiness may bring her success again.

The fresh start that Tim Henman had promised himself after the protracted difficulties of last year stubbornly failed to materialise under the rapidly changing evening skies. There was encouraging light and optimism when he turned around the opening set against the California-based Russian Dmitry Tursunov. Then, as the sun gently sank, the danger colour of red became predominant. By the close all appeared black.

Henman lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, his second successive first-round defeat in a grand slam tournament, and the funereal borders around his career were inevitably shaded in a darker hue.

Tursunov, who defeated Henman in the second round at Wimbledon last year, bullied him off the Margaret Court Arena with a brutality of shot with which he simply could not cope, no matter how hard he strove to impose his greater diversity and experience.

But, as Henman talked quietly and a touch wearily after this setback, his spirit remained unquenched. "I have the belief I'm going to improve and my results are going to get better. If there are other people that have doubts and are going to be second-guessing when I might quit, that's fine. It's my job to prove them wrong, isn't it?" he said defiantly, but seconds later admitted:

"At the end of the year, if I'm not satisfied with my level, I would have to think long and hard. But right now retirement is not in my thoughts."

Guardian Service

MEN'S SINGLES: (8) G Gaudio (Arg) bt R Sabau (Rom) 6-2 5-0 ret, L Burgsmuller (Ger) bt R Schuettler (Ger) 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-3, F Santoro (Fra) bt V Spndea (USA) 3-6 6-0 6-2 6-3, A Pavel (Rom) bt (32) C Moya (Spn) 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 3-6 6-4, (18) M Ancic (Cro) bt A Calleri (Arg) 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4, J Hernych (Cze) bt F Vicente (Spn) 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, D Bracciali (Ita) bt Y-H Lu (Tpe) 6-1 7-6 (7-3) 6-2, (11) D Ferrer (Spn) bt F Serra (Fra) 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-4 , (16) T Robredo (Spn) bt J Vanek (Cze) 6-4 7-6 (8-6) 6-3, D Tursunov (Rus) bt T Henman (Bri) 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-5, J-C Faurel (Fra) bt A Waske (Ger) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 7-6 (7-2), (20) J Blake (USA) bt J Acasuso (Arg) 6-2 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4), (26) J Nieminen (Fin) bt M Kimmich (Aus) 6-2 6-3 6-1, Y-T Wang (Tpe) bt M Zabaleta (Arg) 6-2 7-5 4-1 ret, S Wawrinka (Swi) bt A Montanes (Spn) 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-0, (4) D Nalbandian (Arg) bt D Udomchoke (Tha) 6-2 6-2 1-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-1, (7) I Ljubicic (Cro) bt C Guccione (Aus) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-6 (7-3), P Kohlschreiber (Ger) bt L Dlouhy (Cze) 7-5 6-2 6-4, G Muller (Lux) bt R Mello (Bra) 5-7 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-0, (31) F Lopez (Spn) bt T Behrend (Ger) 6-2 7-5 6-3, (19) T Berdych (Cze) bt B Reynolds (USA) 7-5 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-1, G Simon (Fra) bt N Massu (Chi) 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-3, X Malisse (Bel) bt M Youzhny (Rus) 7-5 5-7 6-4 6-2, (10) T Johansson (Swe) bt C Saulnier (Fra) 6-1 7-6 (7-3) 6-4, (13) R Ginepri (USA) bt J Melzer (Aut) 6-1 6-4 6-2, D Gremelmayr (Ger) bt J Bjorkman (Swe) 3-6 6-2 6-0 6-1, M Baghdatis (Cyp) bt J Gimelstob (USA) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 6-0, (17) R Stepanek (Cze) bt B Rehnquist (Swe) 6-1 6-2 6-2, G Garcia-Lopez (Spn) bt (27) T Dent (USA) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-4), J Benneteau (Fra) bt M Daniel (Bra) 6-2 6-1 3-0 ret, W Moodie (Rsa) bt O Hernandez (Spn) 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-2, (2) A Roddick (USA) bt M Lammer (Swi) 6-4 6-2 6-2.

WOMEN'S SINGLES: (1) L Davenport (USA) bt C Dellacqua (Aus) 6-2 6-1, K Sprem (Cro) bt A Bondarenko (Ukr) 6-4 6-2, G Voskoboeva (Rus) bt Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Swi) 6-4 6-3, (25) M Kirilenko (Rus) bt E Linetskaya (Rus) 6-1 3-1 ret, M Santangelo (Ita) bt (24) T Golovin (Fra) 6-4 4-6 6-4, K Srebotnik (Slo) bt S Foretz (Fra) 6-4 6-3, A P Santonja (Spn) bt T Panova (Rus) 4-6 7-5 6-1, (14) S Kuznetsova (Rus) bt L Breadmore (Aus) 6-1 6-3, T Pironkova (Bul) bt (10) V Williams (USA) 2-6 6-0 9-7, L Granville (USA) bt K Woerle (Ger) 5-7 6-2 6-0, V R Pascual (Spn) bt L Dominguez Lino (Spn) 6-2 7-6 (7-1), (18) E Likhovtseva (Rus) bt L Raymond (USA) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5), C M Granados (Spn) bt (26) A Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-4 6-3, V Razzano (Fra) bt J Dokic (Aus) 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1, H Sromova (Cze) bt A Morigami (Jpn) 3-0 ret, (8) J Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt M Domachowska (Pol) 6-2 6-1, (4) M Sharapova (Rus) bt S Kloesol (Ger) 6-2 6-1, A Harkleroad (USA) bt S Peng (Chn) 6-4 6-1, J Kostanic (Cro) bt M Washington (USA) 6-1 6-2, Z Ondraskova (Cze) bt (28) AM Garrigues (Spn) 6-3 6-4, (17) D Hantuchova (Svk) bt S Obata (Jpn) 3-6 6-3 6-0, A Amanmuradov (Uzb) bt D Randriantefy (Mad) 6-3 2-6 6-1, C Pin (Fra) bt M Diaz-Oliva (Arg) 2-6 7-5 6-4, (13) S Williams (USA) bt N Li (Chn) 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 6-2, J Schruff (Ger) bt (9) E Dementieva (Rus) 7-5 6-2, E Vesnina (Rus) bt T Li (Chn) 6-2 6-3, O Savchuk (Ukr) bt T Obziler (Isr) 6-1 3-6 6-4, (23) J Jankovic (Ser) bt J Craybas (USA) 6-2 4-6 6-4, E Bychkova (Rus) bt (29) K Koukalova (Cze) 6-1 5-7 6-2, M Elena Camerin (Ita) bt Y Meusburger (Aut) 6-4 6-2, M Muller (Ger) bt J Gajdosova (Svk) 1-6 6-2 6-3, (6) N Petrova (Rus) bt S Ferguson (Aus) 6-2 6-1.