Beijing - Arabstoday
US Open champion Samantha Stosur was knocked out of the China Open Tuesday in another upset at the tournament following shock defeats for the women’s Wimbledon and French Open champions. The Australian world number seven lost 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in the second round to 2005 Beijing champion Maria Kirilenko, following early exits for French Open winner Li Na and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Stosur was beaten in her opener last week in Tokyo as she played her first match since beating Serena Williams in last month’s US Open final. Kirilenko broke in the final game to claim the victory, with Stosur saving only one of six break points in a match lasting more than two hours. Three other women’s seeds advanced, with two-time Grand Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva (third seed) of Russia putting out Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 and French number eight seed Marion Bartoli beating American Christina McHale 6-2, 6-1 Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 13, defeated Spain’s Maria Martinez Sanchez 6-2, 6-3. Savic denies The Serbian tennis player who received a life ban for attempting to fix matches denied the accusations and said Tuesday he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Tennis Integrity Unit found 659th-ranked David Savic guilty Saturday and fined him $100,000 for three violations of the sport’s international anti-corruption programme. Savic,26, said in a written statement that he was set up by a “current top player” who told the TIU that Savic asked him to fix a match in exchange for money. “That is an absolute lie,” Savic said.