TENNIS: Top seed Paolini suffers early defeat at Eastbourne

Top seed Jasmine Paolini suffered an early setback in her Wimbledon preparations on Tuesday after being knocked out of the Eastbourne Championships first round by German veteran Tatjana Maria.

Paolini, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, was unable to counter Maria’s unorthodox slice-heavy grass-court game, falling 6-4, 6-3 in a straight-sets defeat that raises questions about her form heading into the Grand Slam.

In the ATP draw, Italian French Open semifinalist Matteo Arnaldi also exited early after being beaten by British qualifier Giles Hussey, who delivered a composed performance to secure a 6-4, 6-2 win.

Arnaldi, who had been forced to withdraw from Roland Garros ahead of his semifinal clash due to a stomach illness, struggled to find rhythm throughout the match as Hussey capitalized on key break-point opportunities.

Hussey, 29, advances to the second round where he will face lucky loser Quentin Halys, who entered the main draw after second seed Joao Fonseca withdrew due to a shoulder injury.

Elsewhere, second seed Madison Keys provided a steadier performance, defeating Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-4, 6-4 to move into the next round of the tournament. -Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters