Published: 30 December, 2006, 13:22
Edited: 30 December, 2006, 13:22
Russia's second strong player Nadia Petrova lost her season-opener at the Hopman Cup in Perth. She succumbed to a player ranked 159 places below her in the WTA Rankings.
Australian Alicia Molik thundered out of the blocks against Petrova. Taking the first set 6-2. The Russian obviously struggling early in the match, came back in the second, snatching it with an ace. But the Aussie held her nerve to take the 3rd with the same score 6-2 and secure the shock win.Things just got worse for Russia in the men's singles, where Mark Phillopousus was a surprise winner over Dmitry Tursurnov in straight sets.The Russians did win the doubles, but loose 2-1 overall.