Pierce Defeats Razzano

Now, that didn’t hurt a bit.

Mary Pierce, ranked No. 3 in the world as recently as July 2000, knows all about injuries. They hampered her the last three years, and her assorted ailments are largely responsible for her current No. 73 ranking.

But they weren’t bothering her as she rolled through a 6-1, 6-3 first-round victory over Virginie Razzano of France in the first round of main-draw play in the $1-million Acura Classic Monday at La Costa Resort and Spa.

Pierce, 28, relished playing without pain and took full advantage of it by winning the last five consecutive games of the first set and breaking a 3-3 tie in the second set.

The victory continued what Pierce called a series of significant steps in what has sometimes seemed to be a constant comeback, first from a shoulder injury that sidelined her for three months after she won the French Open in 2000, then from a back injury that kept her out of action for seven months in 2001, and an abdominal strain that bothered her for nine weeks last year.

In between, she suffered a series of nagging injuries.

“It’s been great progress for me the last couple of months,” Pierce said.

She has advanced to the quarterfinals of two tournaments and to the round of 16 in three others since February.

Her best showings of late have come in losses to Justine Henin-Hardenne, in the quarterfinals at Charleston, S.C., in April, and in the round of 16 at Wimbledon three weeks ago.

“When I won the French Open in 2000, I felt like I was just reaching my potential,” Pierce said.

Pierce, a wild-card entrant who will face Conchita Martinez in the second round, said she still does not consider herself fully recovered.

But her recent results have lifted her spirits and her game.

“I’m happy with today. I feel like I’m making progress,” she said.

Monday was a much tougher day for two former Stanford standouts.

No. 33-ranked Laura Granville, the NCAA singles champion for the Cardinal in 2000 and 2001, looked and felt out of sorts in a 6-3, 6-3 first-round loss to Magui Serna of Spain.

No. 84 Marissa Irvin, the NCAA runner-up in 1999 and 2000, won two qualifying matches to earn a berth in the main draw but lost a competitive match to Marion Bartoli of France, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

Bartoli, ranked No. 50, rebounded after taking consecutive medical timeouts, first for heat-related symptoms and then for a strained left hamstring.

“It’s incredibly frustrating. I was in control and then I lost it,” said Irvin, 23, who graduated from North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High in 1998.

Granville, 23, sounded downbeat after her loss to Serna and is happy to be heading home for a break before the U.S. Open.

One of the young, up-and-coming Russians, Svetlana Kuznetsova, advanced after a 6-2, 6-1 victory over wild-card entrant Leslie Koffi, 16, of Los Angeles.

Koffi wasn’t the only young Los Angeles-area resident who entered as a wild card.

Angela Haynes, 19, of Compton lost to Alicia Molik of Australia, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, in a night match.

*

Featured Matches

Stadium Court

at La Costa Resort and Spa

Beginning at 10 a.m.

* Amy Frazier vs. Lindsay Davenport

* Chanda Rubin vs. Tina Pisnik

* Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. Eleni Daniilidou (7 p.m.)