For Julia Grabher there was no sense of achievement at the WTA 125 tournament in Valencia, which was held on sand. The Vorarlberg native, who was seeded number two, had to give up early on Tuesday in the first round match against the Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro with a score of 3:6 1:2.
Grabher failed to make it into the top 50 in the world rankings for the first time, and the 26-year-old is currently 56th, better than ever. Sinja Kraus is also no longer represented in the competition. The 21-year-old Viennese suffered a 4:6 2:6 defeat against the 23-year-old Argentinian Maria Carle in 1:16 hours.
Venus Williams loses in Hertogenbosch
There was also no sense of achievement for the American Venus Williams on grass in Hertogenbosch. The seven-time Grand Slam winner with a wildcard lost on her comeback against the Swiss Celine Naef 6:3 6:7 (3/7) 2:6. For the 42-year-old American it was the first assignment in Auckland since the beginning of January.
In Nottingham, the Ukrainian Daria Snigur caused a big surprise, knocking out second-placed Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4 6-3 in the first round.