Former World no 1 Dinara Safina is embarrassed after being handed a double bagel by Kim Clijsters
Former World no 1 Dinara Safina is embarrassed after being handed a double bagel by Kim Clijsters
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| Russia's Dinara Safina is stunned after her 6-0, 6-0 loss to Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the first round of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park yesterday. Pic Getty Images |
The distraught Russian was swept aside in only 44 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, looking a shadow of the player that reached the Australian final and World No 1 in 2009. "I didn't know how to win a point," Safina said.
"I was sitting in the changeover and I was like, 'okay, at least how can I get a chance to hurt her?' (It was) embarrassing."
Safina, who has struggled with injury, hit just 16 winners as she plumbed the depths of last year's first-round French Open exit at the hands of Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, now 40.
The Russian is still searching for her first victory of the year after first-round beatings in Auckland and Hobart, including a 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Marion Bartoli, meaning she has now won just one game in two tournaments.
She has previously imploded on the big stage when was thrashed 6-0, 6-3 by Serena Williams in the 2009 Australian final and lost 6-1, 6-0 to Venus Williams in that year's Wimbledon semis.
In 2004, she was trailing 6-0, 2-0 when she retired hurt against Arantxa Santonja at Wimbledon. "Nothing was hurting her, not my backhand, my forehand or serve ufffd my return, nothing," Safina said of Clijsters.
"She was dictating from the first point. It's tough for me when somebody's dictating. Normally I used to dictate, now this is a little bit different."
Safina, still only 24, said she didn't intend to walk away from the sport despite the loss. "I have the motivation (to continue)," she said.
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