WORLD number 84 Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus went out of the $100,000 plus Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge at the Metropolitan Resort and Beach Club in round one on the opening day yesterday.

Seeded one for the fifth championships at the Mina Seyahi, Dubai resort, Tatiana was expected to have not more than a workout against here doubles partner Galina Fokina of Russia, placed at 189 in world singles rankings.

Galina in her 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 triumph, had to play well within herself in the early parts of the third set realising the fact that the tournament’s biggest upset was within her reach.

The first set was such an encouragement for the pretty 18-year-old Russian that she went on to play with the same fast approach early in the second but unforced errors saw her lose serves to trail 1-4.

Conserving her best for the rubber, Galina held on grimly for serves and managed to get back with a break for 4-4 and 5-all to upset the seeding committee’s trust put on Tatiana.

For Galina it meant a phone call to her mother in Moscow immediately after the match and she managed a mobile phone courtesy an organising committee member.

“I had a short talk with my mother and I am happy to know that she bought me a puppy as present. She was so pleased with my win today and the present goes well,” Fokina said of her conversation with her mother in a short post-match talk.

“This was a very good game for me. I learned a lot from the game. Tatiana is not new to me as I play doubles with her. I went out and played a relaxed game without any sort of pressure on me.”

“The weather was good but became hot after the overcast sky cleared up. I feel too tired to even stand and talk. Playing against a top 100 player is a great experience for people especially like me where I am placed something like below 200,” Galina continued.

Galina, after qualifying, lost in round one of the main draw last year at the Al Habtoor.

Next, she meets the winner of the Patricia Wartusch (Austria)-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) first round encounter.

Also entering the second round yesterday was Al Habtoor veteran Katalin Marosi-Aracama (Kata), a 6-2, 6-4 winner past Czech girl Zuzana Ondraskova.

A wild card entrant because of her regular visits here, Kata, 214 in the world, overcame her tendency to float around when things go slightly awry.

Momentary lapses in concentration and a couple of bad service games saw her (Kata) being stretched a bit before she wrapped up the issue for a second round meeting with the winner of the Olga Baraanchiko (Belarus) and Moroccan regular here Bahia Mouhtassine clash.

Frenchwoman Camille Pin sent out wild card Caroline Schneider of Germany with ease but encountered resistance midway through the second for a 6-0, 6-3 win in the third first round clash yesterday.

Pin’s team-mate Laurence Andretto, who impressed here two years back with a gritty show despite severe cramps in her legs in the quarters, showed us that despite nearing 30, she has a lot left in her game.

Rated 161, she ousted world number 144, Miriam Schnitzer, 6-2, 6-4, the second set going close before the German lost two easy returns consecutively in the ninth and three in the 10th.

In first round doubles main draw action, Jeon Mr-ra of South Korea teamed up with Hong Kong’s top player Tong Ka-Po to outwit inaugural Al Habtoor singles champ Kyra Nagy (Hungary) and last year’s singles runner-up, Aniko Kapros (Hunagary) 6-3, 7-5. Results: Galina Fokina (Rus) bt Tatiana Poutchek (Blr) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5; Katalin Marosi-Aracama (Hun) bt Zuzana Ondraskova (Cze) 6-2, 6-4, Camille Pin (Fra) bt Caroline Schneider (Ger) 6-0, 6-3, Laurence Andretto bt Miriam Schnitzer 6-2, 6-4.