Kuznetsova survives tough start in Eastbourne

ASTBOURNE, England, June 20 (Reuters) Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova survived a tough first outing on the Eastbourne grass to beat Japan's Ai Sugiyama 1-6 6-1 6-2 today.

Kuznetsova, the fourth seed, became the first woman into the quarter-finals of the 600,000 dollar Wimbledon warm-up event.

A first-round bye appeared to have done the Russian few favours. Sugiyama, 30, was 4-1 up before Kuznetsova even began to fight back and the Japanese took advantage of a double fault to take the set 6-1.

Kuznetsova, who will celebrate her 21st birthday during Wimbledon fortnight, came out with all guns blazing in the second set and went two games up for the loss of just one point.

Though she still occasionally overhit in the breezy conditions she rattled through the set in 23 minutes.

The crucial break of the third set came in the sixth game when Sugiyama put a backhand wide. At 5-2 the Japanese saved one match point but Kuznetsova sent a backhand winner down the line on the second.

Kuznetsova, who lost in the French Open final to Justine Henin-Hardenne 10 days ago, said the sea breezes and the new grass on centre court had made conditions difficult.

''It was so windy in the first two games,'' she told reporters. ''I got broken and she got confident. In the second set I hit a little bit stronger.'' Fifth seed Anastasia Myskina made short work of Slovak qualifier Jarmila Gajdosova, winning 6-3 6-0 in 54 minutes.

The former French Open champion came back from 3-1 down in the first set and did not let Gajdosova win another game.

The Russian, however, had to save four break points in the ninth game of the first set when, riled by a series of controversial line calls, she hit three double faults as she struggled to bring her anger under control.

Russian Vera Dushevina killed off local hopes when she beat British number one Anne Keothavong 6-1 6-3 in the first round.

Dushevina, who reached the final in this seaside resort last year, had to save five break points in the seventh game of the opening set.

She raced 4-1 ahead in the second set, helped by a double fault from Keothavong on break point in the third game, before the Briton staged a brief rally, breaking for 4-2 and winning the following game to love.

A series of errors by Keothavong allowed Dushevina to break again in the ninth game and she will now face seventh seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany, who beat Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli 2-6 6-4 6-2.

The leading seeds, led by world number one Amelie Mauresmo, join the action tomorrow after first-round byes.

REUTERS PDS BST0133