BANGKOK (AFP) — World number three and top-seed Jelena Jankovic retired from her first round match at the Bangkok Open, while second-seed Venus Williams was cruising when rain suspended play Wednesday.
Jankovic bowed out at the beginning of the third set against 68th ranked Zi Yan of China due to heat illness.
The 22-year-old Zi, known more for her doubles play, gave a spirited effort in the 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 0-0 match using a steady stream of two-handed groundstrokes to keep pace with the Serbian.
In between sets, the 22-year-old Serb star, who arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday after playing indoors in Germany last week, received medical attention and was advised not to continue.
"During the court call, the doctor asked me to stop the match," she said in a statement.
"I listened to him and I know if I continued I probably would have fainted and ended up in the hospital," she added.
However, Venus Williams, the world's number eight, looked poised for a straight sets victory over Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 4-1 when rain forced the match to be called off.
Williams defeated Wozniacki in the semi-finals of the Japan Open in Tokyo last week before coming to Bangkok and appeared ready to make it two wins in two weeks over the Dane when the rain hit and forced the match to be settled on Thursday.
Prior to the suspension of play, seventh-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy defeated 80th ranked Australian Casey Dellacqua 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in second-round action.
The 25-year-old Italian will meet either third-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer or Anastasia Rodionova of Russia in the third round.
In another first round match, last year's tournament winner American teenager Vania King held off fellow countrywoman Jill Craybas 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 to advance and face fifth-seeded Slovakian Dominka Cibulkova on Thursday.
Taipei's Chan Yung-Jan advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 straight sets victory over 19-year-old qualifier Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia.
Camille Pin of France moved into the third round with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) victory over Czech Klara Zakopalova.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
