Tennis: Dulko overwhelms Dokic to set up Navratilova re-match

7.30am

LONDON - Jelena Dokic cut a sorry figure at Wimbledon on Monday after she was overwhelmed 6-3 6-3 by Argentina's Gisela Dulko in the first round.

Dokic had arrived at the grasscourt grand slam hoping to snap a two-month losing streak and set up a mouthwatering second-round showdown with Martina Navratilova.

Instead Dulko, who ended Navratilova's singles comeback at the French Open with an opening-round drubbing, set up a re-match with the nine-times Wimbledon singles champion.

From the moment the blonde, pony-tailed players started trading blows from the baseline, it was evident Dulko felt at home on the slick surface.

There was little to suggest that Dulko was making her debut at the event as she unleashed a series of ferocious returns to break Dokic in the third game and that set the tone for the rest of the 51-minute contest.

While Dulko skipped off court 18 to prepare for her date with a Wimbledon great, Dokic was left to contemplate her earliest exit here in six visits to the All England Club.

The Yugoslav-born player, a semi-finalist here in 2000, was ranked as high as fourth in the world less than two years ago but is now languishing at 25 and has just eight wins under her belt this season.

Third seed Venus Williams started her bid for a third Wimbledon title with an emphatic 6-3 6-0 victory over Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian of Switzerland.

Venus, who won the women's title in 2000 and 2001 but has been runner-up to her sister Serena in each of the last two finals, used her heavy serve to dominate her 20-year-old opponent, ranked 106 in the world.

The 24-year-old American had to save break points before wrapping up the first set on serve but whizzed through the second set in only 22 minutes to secure victory in drizzling rain on court one.

Venus, in the same quarter of the draw as 47-year-old Martina Navratilova, faces either Croatia's Karolina Sprem or fellow American Laura Granville in round two.

Women's singles first round matches (prefix denotes seeding):

21-Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) bt Vera Douchevina (Russia) 6-1 7-5

Emily Webley-Smith (Britain) bt Severine Beltrame (France) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

27-Alicia Molik (Australia) bt Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-1 6-4

2-Anastasia Myskina (Russia) bt Lubomira Kurhajcova (Slovakia) 7-5 6-1

Mashona Washington (US) bt Angelique Widjaja (Indonesia) 6-2 6-1

Gisela Dulko (Argentina) bt 23-Jelena Dokic (Serbia & Montenegro) 6-3 6-3

Katarina Srebotnik (Slovakia) bt 16-Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (Israel) 6-4 6-3

Denisa Chladkova (Czech Republic) beat Marlene Weingaertner (Germany) 6-3 6-1

Saori Obata (Japan) beat Eva Birnerova (Czech Republic) 4-6 6-4 7-5

3-Venus Williams (US) beat Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian (Switzerland) 6-3 6-0

11-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat Amanda Janes (Britain) 3-6 6-2 6-3

Teryn Ashley (US) beat Tina Pisnik (Slovakia) 2-6 6-1 7-5

12-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4 6-4

Anne Keothavong (Britain) beat Nicole Pratt (Australia) 6-3 6-1

Tatiana Panova (Russia) beat 28-Emilie Loit (France) 6-1 6-2

Martina Navratilova (US) beat Catalina Castano (Colombia) 6-0 6-1.

- REUTERS