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SYDNEY - Top seed Amelie Mauresmo overcame a slow start yesterday to beat fellow Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 and reach the Sydney International quarter-finals.
Mauresmo lost the first set in a tiebreak, and failed to serve out the second set at the first attempt when she led 5-3 before regaining her composure to run away with the third.
Mauresmo, playing her first competitive match in Australia since her breakthrough victory at last year's Australian Open, plays Jelena Jankovic for a place in the semis.
The in-form Serb beat Australia's Samantha Stosur 6-2, 7-6.
Jankovic won her second WTA title on Saturday at the ASB Classic in Auckland and opened her Sydney campaign with a three-set victory over former world No 1 Martina Hingis.
James Blake made a flying start to his defence of the men's singles title with a 6-3, 6-4 first-round win over fellow American Kevin Kim at the Sydney Olympic tennis centre.
Blake enjoyed his best season on the professional circuit last year, winning five titles, but said his aim for 2007 was to peak at the Grand Slams.
"It's not going to be easy, but I would love to have as much success as I had here last year, and then maybe take it to Melbourne with even more confidence and go a little further."
Seventh-seed Patty Schnyder was an early casualty in the women's draw, losing 7-6, 6-2 to Israel's Shahar Peer, and eighth-seed Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic downed Ukrainian Yuliana Fedak 6-3, 6-1.
- REUTERS
