Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Radwanska out of Doha contention

Agnieszka Radwanska in action in Russia
Radwanska called for a trainer during the first set

Agnieszka Radwanska's hopes of reaching the season-ending WTA Championships ended when she was beaten by Maria Kirilenko in the Kremlin Cup.

The Pole lost 6-3 6-3 in round one to her Russian opponent in Moscow.

Her defeat means that Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva will fight it out for the eighth and final spot in Doha.

"I was trying because I was still in with a chance for Doha, but the surface is so slow here, you need to run a lot to win a point," said Radwanska.

Seven of the world's top players opted to miss the tournament having already qualified for the women's season finale.

With Radwanska out of the running, both Jankovic and Zvonareva have everything to play for having qualified for the second round on Tuesday.

606: DEBATE

World number 10 Radwanska began badly, dropping serve in her first game against Kirilenko, 51 places below her in the world rankings, before calling for a trainer to treat her right thigh.

Her form continued to deteriorate as Kirilenko broke serve in the second game of the second set before securing her first win in five appearances at her hometown tournament.

Top seed Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Rafael Nadal in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday, opens up against Russian compatriot Marat Safin in the men's tournament.

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