Mauresmo struggles to victory at Pilot Pen
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) — Amelie Mauresmo continued her slow struggle back to form with a 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2 victory over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in a first-round match Tuesday at the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament.
Overall it was a good fight, Mauresmo said. It is always good to go out of these kinds of matches with a win. I am happy physically because I am fine coming out of this match.
The former No. 1 player in the world and two-time Grand Slam singles champion dominated the first set, but struggled with her serve in the second, losing in the tiebreak. She regained her dominance in the final set, though she finished with 12 double faults, six in the second set.
The 29-year-old Mauresmo has been hampered by rib muscle and thigh injuries. After Serena Williams defeated her in the third round at Wimbledon in June, where Mauresmo won the championship in 2006, she did not play at all in July.
She did reach the semifinals at Cincinnati a week before the Pilot Pen. But she said regaining rhythm and confidence is never easy after a long layoff, especially at her age.
I am definitely thinking the body is not holding as well as it used to, said Mauresmo, who has dropped to No. 33 in the world rankings after finishing last year at 17. That’s a fact and it is pretty frustrating, but that is the way it is.
Third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France avoided an upset by rallying to beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round.
