13 December 2005

Dubai: Jelena Kostanic quelled a stiff challenge from Zsofia Gubacsi to enter the second round of the ITF Women's Circuit Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge at the Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa on Monday.

The eighth-seeded Croatian, ranked 100, breezed through the first set 6-1 against Gubacsi of Hungary.

However, the wild card entrant, ranked 119 places below her rival, found her bearings to clinch the second to take the game into the third set.

In the decider, Kostanic regained her form to win the set 6-2 and the match.

While most of the matches went according to the form book, there was an upset of sorts when the Thai girl Tamarine Tanasugarn bowed out of the first round. Tanasugarn lost to the Finn Emma Laine 7-5, 6-1.

In other matches, Yuliana Fedak disposed of wild card entrant Marinne Giraud 6-1, 6-2, while Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia emerged winner after Czech Republic's Hana Sromova retired.

Earlier in the qualifiers, the top four-ranked players booked their rightful place in the main draw.

The top-seeded Napaporn Tongsalee of Thailand survived a scare against Russian Olga Panova. The Thai girl won the first set with ease at 6-2, but Panova broke back to level the game 1-1 after winning the set 6-3.

In the third set, Tongsalee did not give her rival any chance by blanking the eight seed to clinch the match.

Another Thai girl, Montinee Tangphong, scored a fluent 6-2, 6-1 victory over Algerian Samia Medjadi.

In the matches pitting compatriots, second-seeded Ekaterina Dzehalevich overcame fellow Belarussian Nadejda Ostrovskaya 6-4, 7-6, while Russia's Yaroslava Shvedova scored an identical 6-4, 6-4 win over compatriot Ekaterina Kosminskaya.

Tournament top seed Marion Bartoli of France will begin her campaign today against Ukrainian Mariya Koryttseva.

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