• Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Baltacha fails to qualify for Internazionali BNL D'Italia

ESPN staff
April 30, 2010
Elena Baltacha was top seed in the Internazionali BNL D'Italia qualifiers © Getty Images
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Elena Baltacha sparkled briefly before capitulating spectacularly to fail in her bid to qualify for the Internazionali BNL D'Italia.

Baltacha was the top seed in the qualifying draw for the Rome event, yet she failed to make it through the first qualifier against Greta Arn of Hungary. After acing the first set, the Briton ended up a 2-6 6-3 7-6(5) loser despite having the chance to serve for the match.

Currently ranked 59 in the world, Baltacha lived up to the billing in the first set, breaking twice in clinical fashion. However, the warning signs were there as she defended seven break chances on her own serve.

That resistance failed to withstand the pressure in the second as Arn took the only break to level the match at 1-1, but then Baltacha appeared to have found the winning formula as she created the opportunity to serve for the match at 6-5 in the third.

The Briton could not close things out though, allowing Arn to take the contest to a tiebreaker, where she held her nerve to dump out Baltacha in a shock result.

It was better news however, for British No. 3 Anne Keothavong, who showed no signs of fatigue as she edged a step closer to qualification with victory over Alice Moroni.

Less than 24 hours after losing her second round match against Alize Cornet in Morocco, Keothavong was in action in Rome, and the world No. 111 needed just an hour and 15 minutes to dispatch the Italian teenager 6-3 6-1.

Seeded ninth in the qualifying, Keothavong now has a sterner test in Croatia's Karolina Sprem on Saturday to secure a place in the main draw.

Notable names left in the qualifiers are Ayumi Morita, Alicia Molik and the United States' Fed Cup heroine Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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