World Sport News

Defending champion Carina Witthöft (Hamburg) has already failed against her opponent at the WTA tournament in Luxembourg. The 23-year-old lost to Vera Lapko of Belarus 4:6, 7:5, 4:6 and conceded her 18th first-round defeat in the current season.

Witthöft had won her only tournament on the WTA Tour in the Grand Duchy last year. Due to her early defeat, she will slip to 160th place in the upcoming world rankings, Witthöft was worse last listed more than four years ago.

Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) was also eliminated. The 31-year-old lost her opening match against the Russian Anna Blinkowa 2:6, 5:7. In the previous week Maria had won against Blinkowa in the first round of the tournament in Linz in three sets.

In Luxembourg there are two more German players at the start. Top seeded Julia Görges (Bad Oldesloe) will face Slovak Viktoria Kuzmova in the first round, Linz semi-finalist Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt) against Belgian Alison van Uytvanck.