Andy Roddick was beaten by Xavier Malisse in an opening-round match at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.

Memphis, Tennessee – Defending champion Andy Roddick was beaten by Xavier Malisse, 7-6 (8), 7-5, in an opening-round match Wednesday at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.

For Roddick, whose world ranking has slipped to 27th, it was his earliest exit from the Memphis tournament in 12 appearances. Veteran Malisse, ranked 75th, was winless in four matches this season and in nine career matches against Roddick.

Roddick, seeded No. 2, has been slowed by hamstring and ankle problems this season. He was unable to capitalise on two set points in the first and was broken in the last game of the second by the 31-year-old Belgian.

Olivier Rochus of Belgium and Philipp Petzschner of Germany also pulled off upsets Wednesday.

Rochus beat No. 5 Alex Bogomolov of Russia, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) and Petzschner defeated No. 6 Julien Benneteau of France, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6).

No. 4 seed Milos Raonic, champion of last week's ATP World Tour event in San Jose, plays in a late match Wednesday.

In other men's first-round matches, No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek won 6-3, 6-2 over qualifier Bobby Reynolds, No. 7 seed Kevin Anderson advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over qualifier Robby Ginepri and Jurgen Melzer of Austria beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(4). Istomin was coming off a runner-up finish in San Jose.

In the Memphis International, the accompanying Women's Tennis Association event, Alberta Brianti of Italy eliminated No. 2 seed Ksenia Pervak, 7-6 (3), 6-2, while Sofia Arvidsson, the 2006 champion, joined Brianti in the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (5), 0-6, 6-3 upset of No. 5 seed Pauline Parmentier.

Unseeded Lesia Tsurenko of the Ukraine also reached the quarterfinals by ousting a seed. She beat No. 3 Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Only one of the eight women's seeds – No. 4-ranked New Zealander Marina Erakovic – remains moving into Thursday's quarterfinals. – Sapa-AP

South African seventh seed Kevin Anderson fired off 19 aces during his Memphis Open clash against Robby Ginepri.

Memphis - South African seventh seed Kevin Anderson fired 19 aces in advancing to the second round at the $1.375-million ATP and WTA Memphis Open by beating Robby Ginepri 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday.

Anderson ousted the US qualifier in 75 minutes to book a matchup with American wildcard Sam Querrey at the indoor hardcourt event. The South African could face US top seed John Isner in the semifinals.

US second seed Andy Roddick was set to play in a later first-round match against Belgian Xavier Malisse.

On the women's side, three seeded players were eliminated in second-round matches, leaving New Zealand's fourth-seeded Marina Erakovic as the only seed in the quarterfinals.

Italy's Alberta Brianti ousted Kazak second seed Ksenia Pervak 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 while Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko outlasted Czech third seed Lucie Hradecka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

Swede Sofia Arvidsson downed French fifth seed Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (7/5), 0-6, 6-3. - Sapa-AFP

Samantha Stosur appears to have her best chance to win a first title since the US Open after reaching the quarters in Dubai.

Dubai – Samantha Stosur appears to have her best chance to win a first title since the US Open after reaching the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open on Wednesday.

It is five months since the Australian captured the first Grand Slam title of her career in New York, but during her 6-1, 6-7 (7/5), 6-1 win over Lucie Safarova she showed glimpses of a return to title-winning form.

Safarova, who beat former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki in Doha last week, found more chances to flay her left-handed forehand cross court into Stosur's backhand in the second set.

But in the third Stosur was able to re-impose her serve, one of the finest in the women's game, and with some help of some forceful follow-ups, restored the earlier patterns of the match.

“I don't think I did much wrong in the second set and thought I played a good match,” said Stosur. “I held serve and in the third set I took my opportunities to break.”

Stosur's cause may also have been significantly aided by top-seeded Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka pulling out shortly before her first round match with an ankle injury.

That follows the pre-tournament absence of the second-seeded Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Both players had been placed in Stosur's half.

With Li Na, the French Open champion from China, missing with a bad back, and Vera Zvonareva, the former Wimbledon finalist from Russia, absent with a hip problem, the draw has opened up for her invitingly.

Stosur next plays Jelena Jankovic, the former world No 1 from Serbia, who reached the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Flavia Pennetta, last year's conqueror of Azarenka.

Still playing with a tear in her bandaged left thigh, Jankovic recovered well from an early 1-3 deficit, adopting a more positive approach and finding a good combination of aggression with consistency.

Asked if she was surprised at Azarenka's withdrawal, Jankovic said: “We play pretty much all year round. You know, I think sometimes the schedule is tough, because after Melbourne most of us had Fed Cup.

“The ones who played had to fly from warm Melbourne, which is 30 degrees, and you go to minus 20 somewhere in Europe, and then you go again to a warm place, you know, here, Dubai, indoor, outdoor.

“That's really not easy to do. It's tough on our bodies. I got injured in Fed Cup. I pulled my muscle. So all the players have some issues.”

Agnieszka Radwanska, the fifth seeded Pole who overcame the Israeli Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-4 on a strictly monitored outside court, had a different interpretation of the casualty list which has left her one of the three most likely players to win the title.

“It's also an explanation that sometimes in the off season the girls are doing too much,” she said. “Then suddenly you have some tough match in the beginning of the year and then it's too much for the body.”

Radwanska now plays Sabine Lisicki, the Wimbledon semi-finalist from Germany.

Meanwhile Peer, who in 2010 here became the first female Israeli athlete to compete in the UAE, departed celebrating another diplomatic success for her and the ground-breaking Dubai Open.

Although she still had to live with tight security in separate facilities from all the other players, it was regarded appropriate to allow the Israeli sightseeing for the first time in her three visits to Dubai.

In return Peer distributed 45 of the 50 gifts she brought for new-found friends in the UAE, and believes she and the Dubai Open have helped to change attitudes.

“I have always wanted to separate sport and politics,” she said. “Me and the tournament have overcome things, which a lot of people in the world thought was never going to happen.” – Sapa-AFP

High-profile tennis will return to Soweto when South Africa face Slovenia in a Davis Cup tie at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre.

High-profile tennis will return to Soweto this year when South Africa face Slovenia in a Davis Cup Euro/Africa Group I tie at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in April.

The SA Tennis Association (Sata) announced in December that the Soweto Open, set to be staged for a fifth time this year, had been called off due to the loss of sponsorship.

On Wednesday, however, Sata confirmed the world-renowned township as the venue for the Slovenia clash.

“We are happy to play at high altitude and hopefully the people of Soweto and the rest of Joburg and Gauteng will come and support us,” said SA captain John-Laffnie de Jager.

This will be the second time South Africa have played a Davis Cup tie in Soweto after they secured a 5-0 win over Belarus in 2009.

De Jager was pleased with the choice of venue, with Izak van der Merwe having defeated Davis Cup teammate Rik de Voest in last year's Soweto Open final.

“The centre court at the Arthur Ashe stadium has been good to Rik and Izak, with Rik making the semis and finals of the Soweto Open and Izak making the finals and winning the title,” he said.

The South Africans must win the tie to reach the World Group playoffs for the fourth year in succession, and Sata CEO Ian Smith said they would make the matches as accessible as possible after moving from Potchefstroom, where they played home ties against the Netherlands and Croatia in 2011.

“It is vital that tennis fans get behind the team and for that reason there will be no charge to come and watch the tie,” Smith said.

“We will make it as easy as possible for people to get there and there will be safe parking available.

“Soweto is a popular tourist destination and coming to support the Davis Cup gives the public a chance of combining good tennis with a real special cultural and historic experience.” – Sapa

World No 1 Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn Dubai Championships with a bruised ankle.

Dubai – World No 1 Victoria Azarenka withdrew on Wednesday with a bruised ankle as the Dubai Championships lost both of its leading seeds in the space of three days.

The tournament No 1 said that she was not willing to risk the injury which she said had bothered her since her title at the Australian Open and hopes to be fit for the Indian Wells event in a fortnight.

Her withdrawal extends a run of hard luck for the event, which lost second seed and Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova on Monday due to a virus.

Another Grand Slam winner, French Open champion Li Na of China, pulled out before the start, and so did Russian Vera Zvonareva, who did not finish her two previous tournamentd due to a hip injury.

The field is now headed by third seed and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, displaced form the WTA top ranking by Azarenka after the Australian Open. – Sapa-dpa

The SA Fed Cup team hope their No 1 player, Chanelle Scheepers, will return to the side to face Egypt.

South Africa's Fed Cup captain, John-Laffnie de Jager, hopes the country's number one women's player, Chanelle Scheepers, will return after a seven-year absence for the Euro-Africa Group Two tournament in Egypt in April.

Da Jager, who doubles as South Africa's Davis Cup captain, said on Wednesday that Scheepers had set her sights on the uncertain prospect of competing at this year's London Olympic Games.

Scheepers, who has not played in the Fed Cup since 2005, would only make herself available for the team competition if the ITF allowed her to compete at the Games.

“Based on her playing record, Chani has the credentials to be included among the Olympic Games entries,” De Jager said.

“But the ITF have stipulated that only players who have competed in the Fed Cup in two of the last three years will be eligible – and this is the problem.”

De Jager said Sata had approached the ITF to grant Scheepers, the No 47, special dispensation for the Olympics if she played in this year's team competition in Cairo.

“Chani would in all likelihood be the world's highest-ranked player in Egypt,” De Jager said.

“With her in the team we would have an excellent chance of gaining promotion to next year's Euro-Africa Group One.

“Without her it could be a battle even with all our other leading players available.”

The South African team will in all likelihood include top prospect Channelle Simmonds and the world's 28th-ranked doubles specialist, Natalie Grandin, who could form a potentially match-winning combination with Scheepers.

“I'm hoping Chani will see fit to help South Africa gain Fed Cup promotion, whether her Olympic participation is stymied or not,” De Jager said.

“It would be a much-needed boost for women's tennis in the country.”

Other nations which will seek one of the two Fed Cup promotion places in Cairo are Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Latvia, Montenegro and Turkey.

The seven countries will be divided into groups of three and four teams.

The top two in each group will compete in semi-finals, with the winners securing places in next year's Euro-Africa Group One. – Sapa

No. 1 seed John Isner hammered 26 aces en route to victory over Gilles Muller in the first round of the Memphis Open.

Memphis, Tennessee – No. 1 seed John Isner hammered 26 aces en route to a 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/4) victory over Gilles Muller in the first round of the Memphis Open on Tuesday.

The world No 13, who is chasing his fourth career title, clinched the victory by winning the final three points of the second set tiebreaker.

The 26-year-old Isner won 48 of 50 first-serve points and had just two double faults compared to nine double faults for the Belgian Muller in the 100 minute match.

Isner is also hoping to win his first title indoors. He lost in the 2010 final to fellow American Sam Querrey

Isner next faces Donald Young who advanced to the second round with a three set win over Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.

In other matches on Tuesday, Ryan Sweeting beat American countryman James Blake 6-0, 6-2 in just 45 minutes and wild card Querrey rallied to defeat Alejandro Falla 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Sweeting won 75 per cent of his first service points and broke the former world number four Blake three times in each set. – Sapa-AFP

Ana Ivanovic believes she has another Grand Slam title in her after a surprising performance against Francesca Schiavione at the Dubai Open.

Dubai - Ana Ivanovic upset the seedings in a battle of former French Open champions with Francesca Schiavione at the Dubai Open on Tuesday, insisting afterwards that there is still another Grand Slam title left in her.

The 2008 Roland Garros champion from Serbia beat the 2010 champion from Italy 6-1, 7-5 with a first-round performance that belied her relative decline over the past three years.

Ivanovic hurtled so quickly into a 5-0 lead, with such forceful blows from her first serve and forehand, that it seemed unlikely that she would be troubled.

But Schiavone summoned a typically tenacious second-set performance, twice recovering from dropped service games and threatening to do that a third time before Ivanovic closed the match out in a tight finish.

“I believe I can get back to the top and win a Grand Slam again - that's why I am here,” said Ivanovic. “If that wasn't going to happen or I didn't feel that it could, I wouldn't be here.

“It's strange that at the age of 24 I am considered old. It's a great challenge for us players who have been around for a while,” she said, referring to the rise during 2011 of Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, and Caroline Wozniacki.

“They are pushing us to get better and I still believe that I can.”

Ivanovic was also pleased with the way in which she handled a finish in which her English coach Nigel Sears unexpectedly appeared on court before she could serve for the match for a second time.

Asked why she had called for him, Ivanovic said: “I didn't - he just stood up and came! He said: 'You are doing a good job, just keep at it.'

“I tried not to think about the scores. I tried to stay aggressive and also to mix it up. I tried very hard to do that.”

Ivanovic nevertheless needed the help of the Hawkeye video system before reaching match point.

Schiavone's net approach was called in, but the computer simulation showed the ball landing an inch wide.

Ivanovic celebrated by closing out the match immediately with a fine first serve.

Earlier, another seed, Agnieszka Radwanska - the fifth seed from Poland - narrowly survived.

She was 3-5 down in the final set against Aleksandra Wozniak, a Canadian qualifier who had had the advantage of playing three times already on these courts, before escaping 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5.

Daniela Hantuchova was also behind in the final set in similar circumstances.

The former world number five from Slovakia was down 1-3 against lucky loser Polona Hercog and then again by 1-3 in the final set tie-break.

Hantuchova eventually squeezed home 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) against the rising top 40 Slovenian Ä partly with the help of a Hercog double fault that relinquished a mini-break in the tie-break, but also by being bold enough to take more risks in attack.

Marion Bartoli was another heavyweight to fall, the number six seed from France being beaten 6-4, 6-3 by China's Peng Shuai.

Bartoli retired with a calf problem after one set in Saturday's semi-finals in Doha and after this time taking 3-0 leads in both sets, she slowed markedly, and ended the match limping.

Peng next plays Hantuchova. Ivanovic, meanwhile, faces Russia's Maria Kirilenko, who is suffering from a neck injury, and has a chance of earning a quarter-final meeting with defending champion Wozniacki. - Sapa-AFP

Sam Querrey has reached the second round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis by defeating Alejandro Falla.

Memphis - Sam Querrey advanced to the second round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Alejandro Falla of Colombia on Tuesday.

Querrey underwent right elbow surgery in June and won for only the second time this year in five matches. The American's world ranking has dropped to 99th after peaking at No. 17 in January 2011.

“I feel pretty close,” Querrey said of returning to match shape. “I'm missing more forehands than I usually do, but I'm just committed to stepping up and hitting it. More and more are falling (in) every day.”

In other men's first-round matches, James Blake, participating in his first ATP Tour match since encountering knee problems late last fall, dropped a 6-0, 6-2 decision to fellow American Ryan Sweeting.

In a late match, top-seed John Isner, ranked a career-best No. 13 in the world, plays in the opening round against Gilles Muller. No. 2 seed Andy Roddick opens defence of his Memphis title Wednesday night.

Querrey's first-round victory added to his history of success in Memphis. He improved to 13-4 overall. He has advanced to at least the quarterfinals four of the past five times in Memphis.

Querrey survived falling behind a break in the third set and won with an ace, his 12th, on match point.

In the Memphis International, the accompanying Women's Tennis Association event, No. 2 seed and Russian-born Ksenia Pervak defeated Canada's Rebecca Marino, a finalist in last year's tournament, 6-2, 6-4, in first-round play.

Unseeded Varvara Lepchenko, who became a US citizen in September, upset No. 7 seed Johanna Larsson of Sweden, 6-2, 6-4, to move into the third round along with No. 5 Pauline Parmentier of France. Parmentier defeated Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. - Sapa-AP

Agnieszka Radwanska struggled with desert wind and a determined opponent to reach the second round in Dubai.

Dubai – Agnieszka Radwanska struggled with desert wind and a determined opponent from qualifying as the fifth seed scratched out a 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5 defeat of Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Dubai Championships.

Czech Lucie Safarova beat Croatian Petra Martic 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in another slow-running match, while Iveta Benesova also moved through as injured Slovak opponent Dominika Cibulkova had to quit trailing 3-1 with a hamstring problem.

There was more injury drama at an event where second seed Petra Kvitova withdrew with a virus. Russian Maria Kirilenko retired before a doubles match with a neck injury after reaching the singles second round on Monday.

Australian Samantha Stosur, the fourth-seeded US Open champion, left the doubles court with a loss and feeling ill a day before her opening singles.

Canada's Wozniack, ranked 80th and only back on court after dealing with a 2011 forearm injury, laid on a marathon for Radwanska after going down quickly in the opening set but turning the contest lasting two hours, 32 minutes into a true struggle.

“She (started) to play much better in the second set and the first match is always the toughest,” said the winner. “I'm just very happy that I could come back in this third set and win.

“Sometimes the wind was very strong, it was very hard on one side.

I'm just happy that I got through.”

Wozniack, a qualifier who needed three sets to win all three of her preliminary matches, traded three breaks with the Pole in the second set, finally earning the set in a tiebreaker and a third set point.

The final set featured more plot twists, with the Canadian going up a break in the fifth game only to lose it on a drop shot from Radwanska for 5-all. The seed earned the hard-fought win on her first match point, as Wozniack netted a forehand. – Sapa-dpa

Two more players have pulled out the Dubai Tennis Championships on the second day of the tournament.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Two more players have pulled out the Dubai Tennis Championships on the second day of the tournament that was hit by a rush of withdrawals Monday.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova withdrew due to illness. French Open winner Li Na and Vera Zvonareva also pulled out Monday because of injury.

On Tuesday, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia retired with a hamstring injury during a match against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic. Benesova was leading 3-1 in the first set.

Organizers say Maria Kirilenko of Russia pulled out of the tournament due to a neck injury. Kirilenko advanced to the second round Monday, defeating Monica Niculescu of Romania, 6-3, 6-0.

Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is the top-seeded player at the Dubai tournament. – Sapa-AP

Top-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy reached the second round of the Monterrey Open victory over Coco Vandeweghe.

Monterrey, Mexico – Top-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy reached the second round of the Monterrey Open on Monday with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Coco Vandeweghe of the United States.

In other first-round matches, second-seeded Sara Errani of Italy downed Canada's Stephanie Dubois 6-2, 6-2, Nina Bratchikova beat Russian compatriot Anastasia Pivovarova 6-3, 6-1, and Alexandra Cadantu of Romania defeated Jelena Dokic of Australia 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Unlike most events played in Latin America, this on is on hard courts instead of clay. – Sapa-AP

Ivan Dodig of Croatia has defeated Bernard Tomic of Australia after a three-hour battle in Memphis.

Memphis - Ivan Dodig of Croatia beat eighth-seeded Bernard Tomic of Australia 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (8) on Monday in the opening round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.

The unseeded Dodig survived two match points in a third-set tiebreaker, winning when Tomic netted an easy volley to end the nearly three-hour match.

The 19-year-old Tomic, Australia's top-ranked player, lost for only the third time this season. His only other losses have been to third-ranked Roger Federer and No. 4 Andy Murray.

Among those advancing to the second round in the Memphis International, the accompanying women's event, were Lucie Hradecka, Marina Erakovic, Michaella Krajicek and 2006 champion Sofia Arvidsson. - Sapa-AP

Jelena Jankovic has advanced to the second round of the WTA Dubai Open by defeating Petra Cetkovska.

Dubai - Former world number one Jelena Jankovic on Monday made it clear that she has not given up hope of regaining her former status after making a winning start in her adopted home.

The extrovert Serbian overcame Petra Cetkovska, the Paris-based Czech, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the second round of the WTA Dubai Open, where she once reached the final.

Jankovic was in good form both on and off the court, hitting ground strokes with good rhythm despite the cold conditions, describing her injury problems in some detail, and not missing an opportunity for humour.

“I don't know what's happened to the weather here,” she said. “I love it here. But it was very cold and it was windy out there, and it's been a bit crazy with the dust too.

“I have been eating kilos of dust when I've been training. It's not the same as some of the desserts!”

Jankovic also moved fairly well, which was a little surprising since she suffered an injury at the Fed Cup two weeks ago which required heavy bandaging to her left thigh.

“I had a 5.5cm tear in the muscle, and now it's only a centimetre,” she claimed.

“So that's good.”

Getting fully fit and remaining so is the key to her climbing from her current world ranking of 14 to challenge for the top spot again, she acknowledged with some force.

“I wish,” she said. “It's my biggest wish. But sometimes there are things you can't control.”

How far she has controlled her latest ailment, and how likely she is to reach her allotted seeding place in the quarter-finals may be tested more rigorously by her next opponent, Flavia Pennetta.

The Italian won 6-3, 6-3 against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, perhaps buoyed by the memory of her conquest here last year of Victoria Azarenka, now the world number one.

Earlier Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova's hope of challenging for the world number one spot took another blow when she was forced to retire from her second tournament in a row.

The fierce-hitting left-hander from the Czech republic decided that she had not recovered sufficiently from a virus to take her place in the draw as second seed.

Kvitova also withdrew from last week's Qatar Open in Doha.

It means that there will be a delay in the next episode in her rivalry with Azarenka, whom she has beaten in their last four meetings, and had been seeded to meet in Saturday's final.

Azarenka who won the title in Doha and is unbeaten in all her 17 matches in 2012, begins her campaign to win her fourth successive title on Wednesday against a surprise opponent.

That is Germany's Julia Goerges, who came back from a set and 1-3 down to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, her first victory in three attempts against the former French Open champion from Russia. - Sapa-AFP

Ivan Ljubicic fired off 27 aces en route to beating Florent Serra at the Open 13 in Marseille.

Marseille - Ivan Ljubicic hit 27 aces en route to beating Florent Serra of France 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 on Monday and reaching the second round of the Open 13.

The seventh-seeded Croat broke for a 4-2 lead in the final set.

Ljubicic also broke Serra's serve at 4-4 in the first set, but the Frenchman dominated the second-set tiebreaker, winning five straight points to take a 5-1 lead before levelling the match at one set apiece.

A runner-up at this tournament in 2005, Ljubicic will next face Paul-Henri Mathieu of France or Karol Beck of Slovakia.

Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France downed Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-2, 7-6 (4).

Nieminen, who won the Sydney International last month, dropped serve twice to lose the opening set. The Finnish lefty saved four break points in the next set to force a tiebreaker, but Roger-Vasselin jumped out to a 4-0 lead before clinching victory. - Sapa-AP

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki hit back at Martina Navratilova for claiming that the Dane had never deserved to be top of the world rankings.

Dubai – Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki hit back at Martina Navratilova on Monday for claiming that the Dane had never deserved to be top of the world rankings.

Wozniacki also suggested she has lost respect for Navratilova, regarded by many as the greatest woman player ever, implying that her TV commentating sought to stir things up and that it would be better to “think a little bit.”

“I would never say Martina was number one when there was no-one playing,” Wozniacki said, “or that she was the best when no-one was playing. That would be disrespectful.”

Her comment was an echo of Navratilova's remarks at an Australian Open press conference, in which the 55-year-old legend said: “Clearly nobody feels Wozniacki is a true number one.”

Navratilova, whose 18 Grand Slam singles titles were achieved when the women's game had less depth, also criticised the modern ranking system which placed Wozniacki at the top for 68 weeks.

This places too much emphasis on the quantity of wins rather than their quality, Navratilova alleged, suggesting fellow Czech Petra Kvitova, Wimbledon champion and winner of five other titles last year, should have become number one instead.

When Wozniacki was asked if she had lost respect as a result of some of the remarks made about her on television, she reacted immediately.

“I think I have to be honest, lost a little bit of respect. Because I respect what they have achieved,” she said, referring to players of a previous era who are now commentators.

“And I really respect what someone else (has done), I know how hard it is to reach the top level of a sport like tennis.

“I think I would never say Martina was number one when there was no-one playing, or she was the best when no-one was playing. I mean that would be disrespectful.

“She was unbelievable. She won so many Grand Slams, her touch was unbelievable. Martina Hingis was unbelievable as well - for me my favourite player.

“But I think they should respect players that are playing now as well. Because they know how hard it is. You don't just wake up and say okay I want to win this tournament, and it just happens like this. At that point, you are like, they should just think a little bit.”

Wozniacki reacted almost as strongly when asked about Navratilova's comment that it was Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka who now formed the game's best rivalry.

“They always have to make comments, and that's what they get paid for -to be comments, because they are not playing any more. And they need to stir everything up,” Wozniacki said.

“When I was number one they needed to make a story so in the beginning when I was coming up they were saying I was the next big thing.

“Then when I had been there for a while and it got boring.........then they said she hasn't won a Grand Slam - because and because and because.

“Soon it will be if Victoria (Azarenka) loses a match, 'how could she lose a match?'“

Wozniacki lost her world number one ranking to Azarenka three weeks ago, and is seeded three in defence of the Dubai Open title this week, behind the Belarussian and the Czech.

Kvitova has since withdrawn with a virus, and Wozniacki should play Azarenka in the semifinals on Friday. – Sapa-AFP

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia has a comfortable lead atop the latest men’s rankings.

Berlin – Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia stays well clear at the top of the men's ATP tennis rankings released Monday.

Djokovic has 13,630 points to lead from Spain's Rafael Nadal (10,435), with Roger Federer of Switzerland improving slightly to 8,330 in an unchanged top 10.

ATP top 10 as of February 20 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

1. (1) Novak Djokovic, Serbia, 13,630 points

2. (2) Rafael Nadal, Spain, 10,435

3. (3) Roger Federer, Switzerland, 8,330

4. (4) Andy Murray, Britain, 7,150

5. (5) David Ferrer, Spain, 4,595

6. (6) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France, 4,410

7. (7) Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, 3,950

8. (8) Mardy Fish, United States, 2,915

9. (9) Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia, 2,770

10. (10) Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina, 2,705 – Sapa-dpa

Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka leads an unchanged top 10 in the women's tennis rankings.

Berlin – Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka leads an unchanged top 10 in the women's tennis rankings published Monday.

Azarenka, who improves to 9,260 points, remains ahead of Maria Sharapova of Russia and Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic.

WTA top 10 as of February 20 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

1. (1) Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 9,260 points

2. (2) Maria Sharapova, Russia, 7,680

3. (3) Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, 7220

4. (4) Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, 6,310

5. (5) Samantha Stosur, Australia, 5,825

6. (6) Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, 5,500

7. (7) Marion Bartoli, France, 5,160

8. (8) Vera Zvonareva, Russia, 4,690

9. (9) Li Na, China, 4,450

10. (10) Andrea Petkovic, Germany, 3,880 – Sapa-dpa

Petra Kvitova's hope of challenging for the world No 1 spot took another blow when withdrew from the Dubai Open.

Dubai – Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova's hope of challenging for the world No 1 spot took another blow when she was forced to retire for a second tournament in a row.

The fierce-hitting left-hander from the Czech republic has decided she had not recovered sufficiently from a virus to compete at the Dubai Open, starting on Monday.

Kvitova also withdrew from last week's Qatar Open in Doha, and is likely remain in Prague until shortly before she competes again, probably at Indian Wells in the first week in March.

“I love playing in Dubai and am so disappointed to not be able to get on the plane and go and play for the fans and those amazing crowds,” said Kvitova, who added that she would “definitely be back for many years to come.”

Kvitova reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne last month, and it was after competing again, only a few days later, in a Fed Cup match against Germany, that she started to feel unwell.

It means that there will be a delay in the next episode of her burgeoning rivalry with world number one Victoria Azarenka, whom she has beaten in their last four meetings, and whom she had been seeded to meet in Saturday's final.

It also brings a pause to a tremendous rise which saw Kvitova move from world number 34 at the start of 2011 to within striking distance of the pinnacle, winning six tournaments during the year.

However Kvitova will not fall from the world number three position, because she has fewer ranking points to defend than Caroline Wozniacki, the runner-up in Doha last year and the defending champion in Dubai this week.

Indeed Wozniacki, world number one until the start of this month and now at four, is at risk of falling further unless she does well again this week.

With more than 1,200 points to defend over the two weeks in the Middle East, Wozniacki may find that Samantha Stosur, the US Open champion from Australian, is looking to nudge her down to number five.

Meanwhile the Women's Tennis Association announced a three-year extension to a multi-million dollar global sponsorship from Dubai Duty Free, which means the relationship will have lasted more than a decade.

“It helps keep tennis the number one women's sport in the world,” claimed Stacey Allaster, the WTA's chief executive. – Sapa-AFP

Chanelle Scheepers fell another four places in the women's world tennis rankings after a disappointing performance in Doha, Qatar.

Chanelle Scheepers fell another four places in the women's world tennis rankings after a disappointing performance in Doha, Qatar, last week.

The SA women's number one was eliminated in the first round of the Qatar Open by Christina McHale of the United States, dropping to 47th in the latest rankings released on Monday.

Scheepers, 38th at the start of the season, has failed to get beyond the second round in the five tournaments she has played, following some tough early-round draws.

Meanwhile, SA number one Kevin Anderson fell one position to 36th in the men's world rankings.

Anderson reached the quarterfinals of the SAP Open in San Jose, California, last week where he was eliminated by Canadian Milos Raonic. – Sapa