TENNIS in DEPTH.

Caroline Wozniacki failed to convert three match points as she was ousted by Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in her opening match at the Qatar Open on Wednesday. Wozniacki, playing her first match since losing the No. 1 ranking after the Australian Open, received a bye into the second round. She had all three match points in the 10th game of the third set. “I am disappointed to have lost like this, said the Dane, the runner-up in Doha last year. “I had three match points but wasted them. I just want to move on from here.”

Meanwhile, new Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, in her first match as the new No. 1, dispatched Mona Barthel of Germany 6-1, 6-0. Safarova saved the match points with groundstroke winners, broke Wozniacki, and went into the tiebreaker. From 3-3, Safarova produced three doubled-handed winners from the baseline against a tiring Wozniacki to race away to 6-3 and win on her first match point to end the contest after nearly 2 1/2 hours. It was her second win over the Dane in three matches. “I just kept fighting and I am so happy I didn’t give up in the third set,” Safarova said. “I turned the match around. It was amazing.” Safarova will meet Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round on Thursday. Kuznetsova beat Russian compatriot Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 6-4 to continue her quest for her first Qatar Open title having played two finals.

Unseeded Shahar Peer of Israel stunned former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (4), 6-2 for the first time, and defending champion Vera Zvonareva retired while trailing Monica Niculescu of Romania 7-5, 3-2 because of pain in her left hip. No. 4-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 5 Marion Bartoli also won in straight sets, but No. 7 Francesca Schiavone lost to Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 7-6 (6), 6-4.

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After the match, Safarova praised her opponent. ”It’s tough for me to say as a player whether someone can make it (on tour), but she’s just 16 years old and already playing at a top-50 level,” she said. “She has the potential for sure.”

The 16-year-old Madison Keys came within a handful of points from pulling off the biggest win of her career, but she ended up coming out on the losing end of her thrilling three-set match against No. 27 seed Lucie Safarova, falling 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Keys opened up the match playing near flawless tennis, winning 16 of the first 18 points. Up 5-0 and with set points on Safarova’s serve, the young American began to tighten up, wasting two set points at 5-0 and two more at 5-1. However, she made good on her second try serving out the set, holding at love with a service winner. ”I was willing to wait in the beginning and see if she would get nervous or make easy mistakes, but she really surprised me with how well she played,” Safarova said. “I didn’t feel well out on court in the beginning though.”

Keys showed tremendous composure in regrouping after losing the second set, taking advantage of a poor serving game from Safarova to break for a 2-1 lead. Keys had three game points for a 3-1 lead, but was unable to convert on any of them and lost her serve to level the match at 2-2. With Safarova serving at 3-3, a lengthy four-deuce game ensued that featured some of the best rallies of the match. A strong return of serve from Keys secured the break and a 4-3 lead, but she immediately lost her own serve once again to even things up at 4-4. One game later, Keys served to stay in the match at 4-5. She quickly went down 0-40 and sent a forehand long on Safarova’s second match point to wrap up play after over two hours on court.

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The Czech player had battled from 6-1 4-0 down against Croatia’s Petra Martic to reach the final, but had no answer against Wozniacki. The Dane broke twice in a one-sided first set in which she won two thirds of the points on offer and, though Safarova put up a tougher fight in the second, two further breaks ensured the title for Wozniacki. The win was Wozniacki’s first over Safarova, who triumphed in straight sets in their only previous meeting at Stuttgart last year. She saluted her opponent after the victory, saying: “Congratulations to Lucie for a good week and reaching the finals. I wish her good luck in Eastbourne and in the grass court season – hopefully we can both make it far at Wimbledon.”

Safarova, who had come from a set down in each of her previous four matches this week, said: “I’m disappointed, but it was a great week for me and I will be back next year. ”Congratulations to Caroline, she played really well today. It must be great for her to win at home – I can only imagine. I wish her all the best.”

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Czech Republic has named a full strength squad to face Belgium in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal clash in Charleroi. Australian Open quarterfinalist and world No. 18 Petra Kvitova will lead the Czech team as the visitors look to reach the Fed Cup final for the first time in 23 years. Czech captain Petr Pala also nominated Lucie Safarova, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova to take on the Belgians on 16-17 April. The tie could see a rematch of this year’s Open Gaz de France final between Kvitova and Kim Clijsters, which the Czech won 64 63. The Czechs reached the semifinals after Safarova and Kvitova won the first three rubbers of their first round tie against the Slovak Republic, while Belgium overcame USA 4-1 in its opening round encounter.

German captain Barbara Rittner has named her nation’s Fed Cup team for the World Group play-off tie against USA. In-form Andrea Petkovic, who surprised world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in Miami earlier this week, will carry the weight of home expectation against the American team in Stuttgart. Julia Goerges, Sabine Lisicki and Anna-Lena Groenefeld make up the team looking to bring to an end USA’s proud history in the top flight of the competition. The Germans are looking for an immediate return to the World Group after losing their play-off to France at the same stage of the competition last year

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Australia’s Jelena Dokic ended a nine-year WTA title drought as she came from behind to beat Lucie Safarova in a tough BMW Malaysian Open final in Kuala Lumpur. Having seen off Michaela Krajicek to reach a first final on the main tour since 2003, the 27-year-old battled from a set down to lift the trophy on Sunday. Safarova was rarely troubled in the first set, dropping only six points on her own serve as she took it 6-2. The players traded breaks in a tight second set which saw Dokic cling on in the match by taking a tie-break 11/9. She trailed by a break in the third but responded in game five and levelled at 3-3. She broke again to lead 5-4 and a hard-fought service hold saw her complete a 2-6 7-6 (11/9) 6-4 victory in two hours 40 minutes.

It was Dokic’s sixth WTA title, her first five being Rome, Tokyo and Moscow in 2001 and Sarasota and Birmingham in 2002; she is now 6-7 in career finals. “Thanks to everyone who made this event possible, it was a pleasure to play here,” the 27-year-old Dokic said to the crowd. “I have to especially thank the two people who were here with me, my boyfriend and my brother. I love you guys. Without you I wouldn’t have been able to do this. I hope to come back next year and try to play well again here. Now I have to try and make my flight!” Dokic is projected to return to the Top 60 with her results this week.

Safarova, who fell to 4-5 in career finals, was very complimentary towards Dokic: “First of all, congratulations to Jelena. She played very well today and deserved to win,” the 24-year-old said on court. “It was my first time in Malaysia and I enjoyed it. It was a very nice experience. I hope to come back next year.”

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Jelena Dokic reached her first WTA final since 2003 following a straight-sets victory over Michaella Krajicek at the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. The Australian broke her Dutch opponent twice in both sets to complete a comfortable 6-2 6-3 semi-final victory in just over an hour. Dokic will now face Lucie Safarova in Sunday’s final after the Czech number five seed came through in three sets against Jarmila Groth.

Safarova took the first set 6-2 but Australian Groth broke early in the second to go 3-0 up before closing it out 6-3. The two players then traded breaks in the third before Safarova landed the decisive blow in the eighth game to lead 5-3 before serving out a 6-2 3-6 6-3 triumph.

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Seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska was an early casualty in the Qatar Ladies Open in Doha when she slumped to a 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 defeat to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.

In other first round action, unseeded Russian Nadia Petrova was a comfortable 6-4 6-2 winner over Roberta Vinci of Italy.

Marion Bartoli also beat Alisa Kleybanova of Russia in straight sets, 7-5 6-2.

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Jelena Dokic scored another notable victory in her bid to break back into the world’s elite with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over world number 30 Lucie Safarova at the GDF Suez Open in Paris. Dokic, currently ranked 120, came through qualifying to reach the main draw and seized her chance by fighting back against her Czech opponent and winning a marathon contest in two hours and two minutes.

Third seed Kaia Kanepi beat Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, while fourth seed and Wimbledon semi-finalist Petra Kvitova was a 7-5 6-4 winner over Russia’s Vesna Manasieva. On a busy first full day for the main draw, there were also wins for American pair Melanie Oudin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, plus eighth seed Dominika Cibulkova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

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