Jelena Dokic makes painful French Open exit

Aussie star, staging a comeback to the French Open after half a decade, makes painful Round Two exit after back injury

Jelena Dokic makes painful French Open exit

Aussie star, staging a comeback to the French Open after half a decade, makes painful Round Two exit after back injury

Troubled Australian Jelena Dokic's French Open campaign ended on a tearful and a painful note.

Hard luck:Russia's Elena Dementieva consoles rival Jelena Dokic after she injured her back yesterday

The 26-year-old, playing here for the first time in five years, was heading for victory over Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva when she was forced to retire with a crippling lower back injury when she was
6-2, 3-4 ahead.

Dokic, , who is steadily trying to rebuild her career, slumped in her chair and burst into tears while Dementieva attempted to console her.

"I went for a return and I just went down and couldn't get up," said Dokic.

"It's very painful and very disappointing because I felt as if I had the match in my hands."

Serbian fifth seed Jelena Jankovic, a semi-finalist in the last two years and who lunched with Serbian President Boris Tadic on Wednesday, feasted on the meek resistance of Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova with an easy 6-1, 6-2 win. Jankovic will next face Slovakian-born Jarmila Groth, who now plays for Australia.

Great escape
Meanwhile, Roger Federer and Venus Williams pulled off great French Open escapes yesterday while home hopes of a first Roland Garros men's champion in 26 years enjoyed a five-man power surge.

Second seed Federer claimed a 7-6 (10/8), 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win over Argentina's Jose Acasuso, who wasted four set points in the first set and another in the third where he led 5-1. Acasuso, who has only progressed beyond the second round of a Grand Slam once in 28 attempts, cut a weary figure by the end, worn down as much by his own physical shortcomings as Federer's pinpoint hitting.

"I'm not in that sort of situation very often although the conditions were slow so that was in his favour," said World No 2 Federer.

"He looked tired to me by the end so I just tightened the game and closed him out."

Venus Williams, the American third seed, who was runner-up to sister Serena in 2002, saved a match point in her 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 7-5 win over the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova. Safarova failed to convert her golden opportunity on her own serve when 5-4 ahead in the decider and Williams made her pay by breaking the Czech before going on to set-up a third round clash with Hungary's Agnes Szavay.

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