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Mauresmo ousted by Petrova in opening round

No. 1 ranked, defending champion Amelie Mauresmo lost to Nadia Petrova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2 Tuesday in her first match at the WTA Championships first round. It was the Frenchwoman`s first match since she last played at the Zurich Open last month. She withdrew from the Swiss tournament because of a right shoulder injury.

This time, the pain was not an issue, and Mauresmo had no excuses to offer. "It`s hard to say anything positive about a match like that. I speak better Spanish than I played today," Mauresmo said. She will still have a chance to keep her No. 1 seed, if she defends her title, Justine Henin-Hardenne (No. 3) finished last in their group and No. 2 Maria Sharapova misses the final.

Sharapova, who won the championship two years ago, beat Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-4 in her first match. Sharapova has already won five tournaments this year, and is after her sixth title. The outcome of the prestigious championship will affect the end of year seeding in the women`s tennis tour, and also grant a total of three million dollars to the eight competitors.