Tennis: Defending champion wins hard fought battle

Yanina Wickmayer. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Defending champion Yanina Wickmayer started her tennis year in style as she overcame Russian Dinara Safina in a high quality match in the ASB Classic in Auckland today.

The meeting between No 2 seed Wickmayer and former world No 1 Safina was the feature match of the first round and the two big hitters didn't disappoint as they traded blows.

Wickmayer finally prevailed 6-3 6-7 6-1 after the pair had spent two hours and 10 minutes in the centre court sun.

Safina, whose ranking dropped to 63 after she struggled with injury last year, showed her fighting qualities when she bounced back from a break down early in the second set to level the contest.

That set produced some superb entertainment as fortunes ebbed and flowed.

"I think we played some amazing points, both of us," Wickmayer said, adding that she did not drop the set because she played badly.

"The service games I lost at the end, she made three unbelievable winners," she said.

"In the third, I tried to start off well and be aggressive again, but we both played a great match."

Despite having been paired against such a high-profile opponent first-up, Wickmayer said she was happy when she saw the draw.

She knew Safina represented a difficult assignment, but such matches were ideal for building up to the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

"It was a good start of the year, a tough one," she said.

"In preparation for the Australian Open, that's what we're looking for -- good matches, good rhythm -- and that's what I had today."

The world No 23, Wickmayer will face German Sabine Lisicki in the second round tomorrow.

The pair have not met on court before, but Wickmayer is well aware of Lisicki's background, and will not be taking her lightly.

"It will be a tough one again," she said.

While Lisicki, the world No 175, had to get through qualifying to make the main draw, she has been as high as 22 before falling down the rankings as she battled injury last year.

She made it to the second round by defeating fellow qualifier Florencia Molinero of Argentina 6-1 6-3.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's hopes took a hit, with defeats for wildcards in both the singles and doubles.

Aucklander Marina Erakovic failed to get going against Russian No 7 seed Elena Vesnina, losing 6-2 6-2.

Canterbury teenagers Leela Beattie and Emily Fanning were beaten by Sweden's Johanna Larsson and German Jasmin Woehr 6-3 6-2.

The tournament's biggest name, Russian Maria Sharapova, wasn't in action today, but she still managed to draw the crowds.

Hundreds queued up when the top seed had a signing session at the venue.

- NZPA