Tue Feb 26 14:46:31 2008

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Chakvetadze, Mauresmo move on; Sharapova withdraws from Dubai

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sports Network) - Sixth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze and former top-ranked star Amelie Mauresmo were among Tuesday's opening-round winners, while Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova withdrew from the $1.5 million Dubai Tennis Championships, citing a viral illness.

The former world No. 1 Sharapova won last week's title at Doha and is off to a perfect start for 2008 with a match record of 14-0. She captured the year's first Grand Slam event last month in Melbourne.

"I was really excited to come to Dubai this week and was very much looking forward to playing the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships," Sharapova said in a statement. "Unfortunately I have been battling a virus for several days and it's reached a point where I'm unable to compete. This is really disappointing to me, but I do intend to come back to Dubai next year and hopefully have a great tournament."

The Russian superstar, seeded fifth this week, was slated to play her first match on Tuesday. The 2006 Dubai runner-up was replaced in the draw by Japanese lucky-loser Akiko Morigami, who surprised Hungarian Agnes Szavay 6-1, 6-4 to setup a clash with the two-time Grand Slam champion Mauresmo, last year's Dubai runner-up.

An unseeded Mauresmo, of France, got past Spanish qualifier Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, while Chakvetadze snuck past Polish qualifier Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 on the hardcourts at Dubai Tennis Stadium. An upset came when Italian Francesca Schiavone drove out seventh-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli of France 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.

Up next for Chakvetadze will be fellow Russian Dinara Safina.

Austrian Sybille Bammer advanced with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 decision against Russian qualifier Ekaterina Makarova, while Czech Nicole Vaidisova vaulted past Japanese qualifier Aiko Nakamura 6-3, 6-0 and Indian wild card Sania Mirza topped Russian qualifier Vera Dushevina 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

In other first-round play, Slovenian qualifier Katarina Srebotnik handled Russian Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-4 and Czech Lucie Safarova overcame Japanese lucky-loser Ai Sugiyama 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

This week's top seeds -- Belgian Justine Henin, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serbian stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic -- all received first-round byes. Henin is the two-time defending champion here, having beaten Mauresmo in last year's Dubai finale and Sharapova in the 2006 title bout.

On Wednesday, the U.S. and French Open champion Henin will face Srebotnik, while the U.S. Open runner-up Kuznetsova will encounter Safarova, the Aussie and French Open runner-up Ivanovic will battle Vaidisova and Jankovic will tangle with Mirza in second-round action.

The 2008 Dubai titlist will collect $250,000.