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Lakhani, Iyer crash out

March 20, 2007 21:36 IST

Top seed Shiho Hisamatsu of Japan led the charge of the seeds as three Indians crashed out a disastrous day for the hosts, in the University of Mumbai ITF women's US $25,000 tennis tournament at the Kalina University Campus, in Mumbai, on Tuesday.

Uzbekistan's No 4 seed Akgul Amanmuradova eased past India's unseeded Isha Lakhani, ranked 530 in the WTA rankings, 6-1, 6-2, while Natsumi Hamamura of Japan overcame 534-ranked Tara Iyer of India 6-4, 6-3 in first round matches.

Wild card Prerana-Mythri Appineni of India also crashed to Japan's unseeded Tomoka Sugano 6-2, 6-0 in another first round match.

Second seed Yan-Chong Chen of China, No. 3 Sunitha Rao of the United States and No. 5 Nina Bratchikova and No 6 Olga Panova, both of Russia, joined Hisamatsu in the second round.

Results (1st round): 4-Akgul Amanmurodova (Uzb) bt Isha Lakhani (Ind) 6-1, 6-2; Remi Tezuka (Jpn) bt Ji-Young Kim (Kor) 6-3, 6-3; 6-Olga Panova (Rus) bt Shao-Yuan Kao (Tpe) 6-1, 6-1; Tomoko Sugano (Jpn) bt Prerana-Mythri Appineni (Ind) 6-2, 6-0; Wei-Ping Lee (Sin) bt Stefanie Voegele (Sui) 6-2, 6-4; 5-Nina Bratchikova (Rus) bt Ksenia Palkina (Kgz) 6-2, 7-6 (4); Natsumi Hamamura (Jpn) bt Tara Iyer (Ind) 6-4, 6-3; 2-Yan-Chong Chen (Chn) bt Debbrich Feys (Bel) 6-1, 7-5; 1-Shiho Hisamatsu (Jpn) bt N. Sirojidonova (Uzb) 6-1, 7-5; 3-Sunitha Rao (US) bt Parul Goswami (Ind) 6-4, 6-0.