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| Simona Halep, ranked fourth at Melbourne Park, became the first seed to be bundled out of the season-opening grand slam, falling to American Shelby Rogers |
Simona Halep fell at the Australian Open’s first hurdle for a second straight year on Monday after the Romanian, hampered by a nagging knee problem, lost 6-3 6-1 to American Shelby Rogers.
Halep, ranked fourth at Melbourne Park, became the first seed to be bundled out of the season-opening grand slam, falling to the power-hitting American in 75 minutes.
She sought medical advice after the first set and was seen flexing her left knee throughout the second.
“I had pain at my knee,” Halep told reporters. “For me, in the second set, was difficult to move anymore, but she deserved to win. She was aggressive, and she hit very strong.”
Halep said she had been battling the problem since the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore. She had no issues during the off-season but it flared up again in Shenzen two weeks ago and she had been trying to control the pain since.
“I had some anti-inflammatory (medication) before the match and the previous days,” she said. “I can play about 45, 50 minutes without pain. And then it comes.
“Today it was about 5-3 in the first set, so then it was tough to fight … and I couldn’t do what I wanted.
“I didn’t see the doctor yet. I need an MRI. Probably need some time off to get it well, recovered, because it’s difficult to play with the pain and the knees are dangerous,” she added.
Elsewhere, Venus Williams survived a rocky start to reach the second round, putting her 7-6 7-5 victory over Kateryna Kozlova down to hard-earned experience.
At 36, Williams is the oldest woman in the singles draw at Melbourne Park and seeded 13th for her open era record-extending 73rd appearance at a grand slam.
Like sister Serena, she rested up for the last couple of months of 2016 before returning at the Auckland Classic two weeks ago.
The American could quite easily have put the loss of her opening service game on Monday down to rustiness but instead gave credit to 22-year-old world number 101 Kozlova.
“She played amazing,” Williams said. “Hardly any errors, she played amazing defence. She didn’t make it easy, so it’s really satisfying to get past a player who’s on fire.”
When asked how she managed to keep beating players so much younger than herself – Kozlova was born the year Williams turned professional – the seven-times grand slam champion assumed the role of elder stateswoman.
“Well I know how to play tennis … You know, I like to think I’m good at this,” she said.
“She hasn’t had the years that I’ve had yet. Se hasn’t had the grey hairs that I’m dying, the wrinkles that I’m hiding. You’re trying to make me feel old now!”
Williams next faces Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele, 26, or Japan’s Kurumi Nara, 25, as she bids to go deeper into a tournament where her best finish was a run to the final in 2003.
