| | Associated Press
WIMBLEDON, England -- Defending champion Lindsay Davenport
advanced to the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday when doubles
partner Corina Morariu suffered shoulder and elbow injuries in a
fall early in the second set.
|  | | Monica Seles dropped the first set, but rallied to beat Karina Habsudova. |
With Davenport leading 6-3, 1-0, Morariu slipped awkwardly at
the baseline, her legs buckling underneath her. She tried to brace
her fall with her left hand and rolled onto her stomach, writhing
in pain.
Davenport rushed over to check on her friend, placing her hand
on Morariu's shoulder in comfort. Eventually, Morariu got up and
walked slowly to her courtside chair. Grimacing, she received
attention from a trainer and doctor.
After several minutes, the umpire announced that Morariu could
not continue. Her left shoulder wrapped with an ice pack, she left
Centre Court, with Davenport walking off behind her.
The WTA Tour said X-rays showed no fracture, but there is the
possibility of soft-tissue damage to the left elbow and shoulder.
Morariu will undergo further tests Wednesday.
"It's a very bittersweet way to win," Davenport said.
"Especially when it happens to a good friend, it's terrible.
Hopefully the prognosis is she can play again in a month."
Davenport and Morariu won the Wimbledon women's doubles title
last year and were seeded No. 2 this year. While there was no
official announcement, it's almost certain that they will have to
withdraw.
"It's obviously disappointing to not try and defend,"
Davenport said. "But it's something very understandable. Maybe
I'll play mixed (doubles) now."
It was Davenport's first match at Wimbledon since beating
seven-time champion Steffi Graf in last year's final. Davenport,
troubled by left ankle and lower bank injuries, had struggled
recently, winning only two of her previous five singles matches.
"Physically I feel good," she said. "The improvement I've
made in a week has been pretty big. I think I'm closer to where I
want to be than I have the last few weeks."
Sixth-seeded Monica Seles, who has never won Wimbledon, lost the
first set but overcame Karina Habsudova 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Four women's seeds were eliminated: No.7 Nathalie Tauziat, No.
13 Amelie Mauresmo and No. 14 Julie Halard-Decugis of France, and
No. 16 Dominique Van Roost of Belgium.
Tauziat, a Wimbledon finalist in 1998, was making her 15th
consecutive Wimbledon appearance. Afterward the 32-year-old player
was in tears, saying this was her last match at Wimbledon. She lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to 17-year-old Belgian Kim Clijsters, a
rising player on the tour.
Halard-Decugis fell 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-1 to Kristie Boogert.
Mauresmo, runner-up at the 1999 Australian Open, lost 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
to Spain's Gala Leon GArcia.
Jennifer Capriati, the former teen sensation, knocked off Van
Roost 6-2, 6-4.
The Spanish women fared better, with No. 4 Conchita Martinez,
the 1994 champion, beating Anne Kremer 6-3, 7-6 (5), and No. 9
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a two-time finalist, downing Justine Henin
of Belgium 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.
| |
ALSO SEE
Gambill pays off at Wimbledon; down a set, Agassi wins
Timing's everything: Spadea's long skid ends at Wimbledon
Sampras' back holds up through Wimbledon opener
Serena Williams shakes off rust for first-round victory
|
