Ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova and former champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov were early second round casualities in the French Open today.
Slovak Hantuchova went down to American teenager Ashley Harkleroad,while Kafelnikov, the 1996 champion, said he was considering callingit a day after his 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-7 (0/7), 6-4 loss to unknownBrazilian Flavio Saretta.
Hantuchova found her game briefly to level after the second setonly to slide 1-5 down in the decider. When she levelled for 5-5 itappeared she had come out of her nosedive - but 52nd-rankedHarkleroad, making her senior debut here, was determined not to loseher big chance.
"I've always been very fiesty, and a fighter even when I wasplaying juniors. I just said 'Ashley you're not going to losethis'," said the 18-year-old American, who only became eligible toplay the WTA circuit three weeks ago.
Hantuchova, who reached the fourth round here last year and wenton to reach the Wimbledon and US Open quarter-finals, slammed downthree times as many winners as her opponent, but gave anerror-strewn performance with 108 unforced errors and seven doublefaults.
Former Australian Open champion Kafelnikov, the 17th seed, saidhe was considering his future after his 3hr 55min loss.
"It's a disappointment to lose, the fact is I might not be backnext year," said Kafelnikov. "Unfortunately it wasn't to be I was thinking just to get through somehow. I knew that match was important to me.
Meanwhile in other second round action, Japanese 16th seed AiSugiyama beat Sandra Kleinova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-0 and nowmeets 18th seeded American Meghann Shaughnessy.
Switzerland's Patty Schnyder, seeded 19, got past French hopeStephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) and next meets Greek 14th seedEleni Daniilidou, who beat Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 4-6, 6-2.