Tennis - Robson loses to player more than double her age

Laura Robson lost to a woman 24 years her senior as she went out in the opening round of the Japan Open in Osaka to local favourite Kimiko Date-Krumm.

Date-Krumm, who was ranked in the world's top 10 when her opponent was born in 1994, was utterly ruthless in exploiting Robson's poor serving on her way to a 6-4 6-4 victory.

The British star, seeded seventh for the event, got just 58% of her first serves in, and with Date-Krumm winning 18 of the 27 points played on Robson's second serve she was able to earn 10 break points, of which she converted four.

Robson tried hard to cling on despite her serving problems, and earned seven break points of her own - but Date-Krumm held her nerve to save all but two of them, coming through the match to the delight of the crowd and earning a second round match against fellow Japanese Misaki Doi.
Italian fourth seed Flavia Pennetta also crashed out, losing 3-6 7-5 6-0 to American Vania King despite battling away to save 17 of the 23 break points King earned during the match.
Wimbledon finalist and second seed Sabine Lisicki came through her opening match against South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers 7-5 7-6(1), while sixth seed Madison Keys beat qualifier Anna Scmiedlova 6-3 6-2.
Japan Open, Osaka - First round results on Tuesday
9-Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 7-6(4) 6-4
Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) beat 7-Laura Robson (Great Britain) 6-4 6-4
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) beat Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 6-2 6-2
Vania King (U.S.) beat 4-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 3-6 7-5 6-0
Polona Hercog (Slovenia) beat Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) 6-4 5-7 6-1
2-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 7-5 7-6(1)
Zheng Jie (China) beat Sharon Fichman (Canada) 6-2 6-1
Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) beat Lauren Davis (U.S.) 6-3 7-5
Luksika Kumkhum (Thailand) beat Ayumi Morita (Japan) 6-2 6-1
6-Madison Keys (U.S.) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-2
Zhang Shuai (China) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-0 6-3