Reigning China Open champion Victoria Azarenka lamented her lack of preparation after crashing out of Beijing in the first round ufffd her second early exit in a week.
The World No 2 also blamed her mental fragility for the 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 loss to Andrea Petkovic, a match in which she was often seen cursing to herself as she committed a staggering 15 double faults.
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The second seed had earlier in September lost the US Open final to World No 1 Serena Williams before losing to her sister Venus in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open last week, a match in which she claimed to have felt ill.
The Belarusian said her defeats in Tokyo and Beijing could be attributed to her tough schedule as the season draws to a close.u00a0“I probably should have taken a longer break and just prepared myself,” the 24-year-old told reporters after her latest defeat.u00a0“I don’t feel like I was ready to play,” she said.
Somdev in main draw
Somdev Devvarman came from behind to beat higher-ranked Italian Paolo Lorenzi 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 yesterday and make it to the ATP China Open singles event.
Devvarman now faces off against World No 31 Fernando Verdasco.