• WTA Tour

Robson falls at first hurdle but Watson impresses

ESPN staff
June 14, 2010
A disappointing day for Laura Robson at the Unicef Open © Getty Images
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Laura Robson's final preparations for Wimbledon were cut short as she was sent crashing out of the Unicef Open in the opening round.

The 16-year-old won her first match on the WTA Tour last week, but there was to be no repeat as she slumped to a 6-3 6-4 loss against Dominika Cibulkova.

Robson struggled to make any impression on her opponent's serve, managing only one break point in her 78 minutes on court.

US Open junior champion Heather Watson recorded an eye-catching triumph by conquering world No. 81 Tsvetana Pironkova in qualifying for the Aegon International tournament at Eastbourne.

Watson, who had never previously beaten a player in the world's top 100, overcame a sluggish start to win 2-6 6-3 6-4. She will, like Robson, will be in the first-round draw at Wimbledon after she was handed a wildcard entry for the Grand Slam.

In the men's event in Eastbourne, Jamie Baker went down 6-4 3-6 6-1 to Alexandr Dolgopolov - his second-successive first-round exit this year at a tournament on grass.

Elsewhere, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina saw her dismal 2010 continue as she was dumped out of the Unicef Open by Magdalena Rybarikova. Safina, who has slumped to 21st in the rankings, has not been beyond the quarter-final in any tournament this year.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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