By TERRY MADDAFORD
Sandrine Testud's poor run as the top seed in tennis tournaments continued at Stanley St yesterday, when she crashed out in a first-round upset to American qualifier Jill Craybas.
Yet to win when given the top seeding, the 28-year-old Frenchwoman stuttered to a 1-6, 5-7 loss in a 90-minute centre court battle. She is in good company because no top seed has won here in the past decade.
Craybas, ranked 145th in the world - 128 places below Testud - will now play unseeded Italian Francesca Schiavone in the second round at the ASB Classic today.
"I had the advantage of playing three qualifying matches," said Craybas, who was born on Independence Day 1974 and has the chance to join fellow American Sandra Cacic (1996) and Austrian Marion Maruska (1997) as qualifiers who went on to win the tournament.
Testud made no excuses, despite playing her first singles match since September's US Open, when a rib injury forced her out.
"It felt weird to be on court again," Testud said. "I was not patient enough and made a lot of mistakes. My opponent played very well, especially when I came back from 2-5 in the second set to get to 5-5."
Craybas was not the only American celebrating yesterday. Meilen Tu's luck finally took a turn for the better.
Tu, a 22-year-old regular at Stanley St since 1998, broke her duck by bouncing back to beat fourth seed and fellow American Kristina Brandi in three sets.
Tu has always lost to seeded players first up.
"It was a great way for me to start my year," Tu said after her 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win in a match which started at 11 am but, with rain breaks, needed 3 1/2 hours to complete.
"I was starting to think we might still be playing at 10 o'clock."
And, in a refreshing answer to a question about disputed calls, Tu said: "You can never blame a win or a loss on umpire's calls."
Tu, who some years ago upset Martina Hingis to win the US Open junior singles, won the crucial sixth game in the final set, coming from 0-40 to win five points in a row for 5-1. Her powerful baseline game was the difference.
She got the jitters in the next game as Brandi saved two match points before Tu, Californian-born to Taiwanese parents, finished it with an ace.
Seventh-seed Cara Black (Zimbabwe) needed three sets to see off another unseeded American, Holly Parkinson. Black dropped the first set and Parkinson had a chance to keep it alive at 4-5 in the third set, but two double faults ended her fightback.
Pavlina Nola, who still holds fervent hopes of attaining New Zealand citizenship - she holds residency following her marriage to Grant Nola - got through in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 over French qualifier and defending doubles champion Alexandra Fusai.
Later, Nola and New Zealander Leanne Baker bowed out in the doubles after losing to Japan's Shinobu Asagoe and Yuka Yoshida 6-4, 2-6, 2-6.
In a late game, wildcard and world junior No 1 Maria Emilia Salerni beat France's Sarah Pitkowski 6-4, 6-4.
Tennis: Hoodoo strikes top tennis seed again
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.