Kratochvil loses in Florida while Vavrinec breezes through

Switzerland's Michel Kratochvil has been eliminated from the first round of the Key Biscayne tennis tournament in the United States. But fellow Swiss Miroslava Vavrinec fared better on Wednesday.

Kratochvil, who was unable to match his last year’s performance, lost to Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer 5-7, 6-0, 6-4. The Bernese player said wind conditions were partly to blame for his defeat.

“The wind changed several times during the match,” he said. “Sometimes, it felt like the lottery, but it is hard to believe I lost.”

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, his compatriot, Vavrinec, easily beat Canada’s Sonya Jeyaseelan in two sets, 6-2,6-1.

Vavrinec delivered an impressive performance against the Canadian player, who beat the Swiss during their previous encounter last year. The 23-year-old from Thur faces Yugoslavia’s Jelena Dokic in her next match.

swissinfo with agencies