• Aegon International

Radwanska stunned in Eastbourne opener

ESPN staff
June 16, 2014
Agnieszka Radwanska said she was disappointed but remains positive ahead of Wimbledon © Getty Images
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Top-seed Agnieszka Radwanska's dire run at the Aegon International continued on Monday when she was beaten 6-4 3-6 7-6(4) by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Eastbourne.

Radwanska won the pre-Wimbledon grass-court tournament in 2008, but she has since fallen in the first round four times and not won a match at Eastbourne since she reached the quarter-finals in 2011.

Despite her early exit, Radwanska was not too concerned about her lack of match preparation for Wimbledon. In 2012 after a first-round defeat she went on to reach the Wimbledon final, and last year after an opening-round loss she reached the semifinals there.

Brit falls at first hurdle

  • In the men's event, Britain's Dan Evans lost 6-2 6-3 to Tobias Kamke.
  • Evans, who has been handed a wildcard to Wimbledon, said: "I had my chances, but I didn't take them when I needed to and I didn't put the ball in the court at the key times. It's a little frustrating. I'm pretty angry right now."
  • Kyle Edmund also failed to get to the second round when he was seen off by American Sam Querrey.
  • Teenager Edmund, the world No.297, battled well but was eventually beaten 7-6(5) 6-3.
  • Elsewhere, Jeremy Chardy beat former two-time champion Ivo Karlovic 6-4 6-4 and sixth-seeded Gilles Simon saw off Australian qualifier Chris Guccione 7-6(2) 6-4.

"The first match [on grass] is always tricky," she said. "Well, it was a great match before Wimbledon to get used to it. I just hope I can do the same good results [at Wimbledon] this year."

Defending champion Elena Vesnina held off a strong challenge to beat Shuai Peng 6-3 6-4 and there was another hard-fought victory for 2012 runner-up Angelique Kerber, who defeated Alison Riske 7-6(6) 6-4.

Former champion Caroline Wozniacki also won, beating Samantha Stosur 7-5 6-4.

Wozniacki had to recover a break of serve at the beginning of each set to defeat Stosur but felt comfortable to be back on a surface which netted her the 2009 title at Eastbourne as well as the junior trophy at Wimbledon.

Following her first-round defeat at Roland Garros, Wozniacki enjoyed a break in Miami with family and friends, including Serena Williams.

"That was a lot of fun," Wozniacki said. "Serena and I had a good time with some of our other friends. I came back home and I worked hard every day four, five hours a day. My game is in good shape."

Eastbourne also features No.8 Victoria Azarenka. A former No.1, a left foot injury restricted her to just one match since she surrendered her Australian Open title in the quarter-finals in January.

Drawn to face Italian Camila Giorgi in her opening match on Tuesday, Azarenka said, "It's not important for me who's going to be on the other side. I just want to see what I can do, and just see how to raise my level from there."

Everyone's mind inevitably is on Wimbledon, which begins next week, but second-seeded Petra Kvitova, who reached the Eastbourne final in 2011 before going on to claim the Wimbledon title, is determined to keep her focus on this week.

"Of course, I want to play the best that I can to get used to the grass and everything before Wimbledon, but I'm taking this tournament as a very big one," Kvitova said. "It's a very tough draw. Everybody wants to be successful here."

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