Listless Pierce Is Ousted by Likhovtseva

Mary Pierce wandered about the court today as if she had no idea what to do.

Elena Likhovtseva sure knew.

She handled the reigning champion with ease, winning, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of the Australian Open.

Pierce, fourth-seeded, slugged shots that would have been wide in doubles and didn’t bother chasing balls two steps away.

“I’m shocked,” said Nick Bollettieri, her coach, who has criticized Pierce for gaining weight. “For Mary not to do anything is unbelievable. Mary just was lost out there.”

In a game of inches, Pierce often missed by six feet. But more than simply clubbing everything wild, she also failed to make an effort on some shots.

The one time Pierce worked hard, she broke Likhovtseva, ranked 51st in the world, in the fourth game of the second set after eight deuces. But even then, Pierce simply accepted the gift of a double-fault on the last of five break points.

Pierce returned the favor in the next game, double-faulting at 30-40 to fall behind, 3-2.

Asked what was wrong with her game, Pierce responded: “Basically, everything.”

Fifth-seeded Kimiko Date also lost, to Mana Endo, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.