Razzano Rallies to Pull Off Upset

Another tournament, another early-round exit for Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

But her latest defeat, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, to Virginie Razzano in the second round of the Estyle.com Classic at Manhattan Beach, did not follow the script of Sanchez-Vicario’s other recent struggles.

This time, the Spaniard went a step further. She immediately left the court after the loss, and tournament officials could not contact her for a few hours.

Finally, at 7:30 p.m., nearly five hours after the match, she addressed reporters.

Where did she go?

“I was doing physical conditioning,” Sanchez-Vicario said.

Her disappearing act was the culmination of a sloppy 94-minute match. Razzano’s victory over the ninth-seeded player featured numerous unforced errors, 14 service breaks and short baseline rallies.

In the third set, there were seven service breaks. Sanchez-Vicario held only twice in her last nine service games.

“When she hit her serve, I tried to get to the net,” said Razzano, a native of France who does not speak much English. “I had to play a fast match.”

Australia’s Alicia Molik and Czech Republic’s Daja Bedanova also pulled off upsets. Molik defeated 16th-seeded Chanda Rubin, 6-1, 7-6 (4), in the night’s first match. Bedanova beat Barbara Schett, seeded 13th, 6-4, 6-2, in the night’s last match. Yugoslavia’s Jelena Dokic, seeded 11th, defeated Marlene Weingartner, 6-2, 6-1, in 51 minutes.

Molik, ranked 73rd, couldn’t convert a match point in the 10th game and led, 6-1, in the tiebreaker before finally finishing off Rubin.

“It’s the best I’ve played in a long time,” said Molik, who beat Dokic in three sets at the Birmingham, England, grass-court event in June. “It might be my biggest win.”

Razzano understood the feeling.

Overcoming six service breaks and 10 double faults, she kept attacking and dictating the pace.

Sanchez-Vicario, who has lost in the second round of the last four tournaments she has entered, seemed in control early. She won four of the first five games.

Then Razzano began to dominate, winning 15 of the first 19 and eight of the final 10 points in the second set. Sanchez-Vicario led, 3-2, in the third set but lost the next three games. In the final game, Sanchez-Vicario led, 30-0, before losing the next four points.

In another match, Tamarine Tanasugarn was leading, 6-3, 4-1, when Alexandra Stevenson retired. Stevenson said she strained her hip in the third game of the second set.

“I was planning on doing well here,” Stevenson said. “It’s not like a huge injury where I’ll be out for six months. Hopefully I’ll bounce back next week.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Featured Matches

10 A.M.--Martina Hingis, Switzerland, vs. Lilia Osterloh; Serena Williams vs. Jennifer Hopkins; Nathalie Tauziat, France, vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand.

7 P.M.--Monica Seles vs. Marissa Irvin; Sandrine Testud, France, vs. Anne Kremer, Luxembourg.