Three Swiss out in Melbourne

Patty Schnyder took just three games off Monica Seles Keystone

Martina Hingis was the only Swiss to progress at the Australian Open on Monday with three of the country's other players crashing out in the first round.

Ivo Heuberger, Patty Schnyder and Marie-Gaïané Mikaelian all suffered expected first round defeats after coming up against seeded players.

Heuberger was the only one of the Swiss trio to win a set, eventually losing 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-7 to Moroccan world number 24 Hicham Arazi.

Former top ten player Schnyder has vowed to claw her way back up the rankings this season, but she was unable to make an impression against American eighth seed Monica Seles, going down in straight sets (1-6, 2-6).

“Brutal”

“It’s brutal to come up against Monica Seles in the very first round,” Schnyder lamented afterwards. “For me to get past her it needs everything in my game to be just right.”

The Swiss number two entered into several long rallies with her American opponent and had four break point opportunities in the second set, but was unable to convert any of them.

Mikaelian blown away

After making a name for herself on the way to the quarter-finals at last season’s Kloten tournament, Lausanne teenager Mikaelian couldn’t manage an upset in her first Grand Slam appearance.

The 17-year-old Swiss number four suffered a straight sets defeat (3-6, 4-6) at the hands of Bulgarian world number 16 Magdalena Maleeva.

“The biggest problem for me was the strong wind,” Mikaelian later insisted. “I couldn’t adapt my game to the conditions.”

Switzerland’s tennis fans will be hoping for better things on Tuesday when Swiss men’s number one Roger Federer enters the fray along with compatriots Michel Kratochvil and Emmanuelle Gagliardi.

swissinfo with agencies