Depressing day for SA tennis’ leading lights in Miami
Kevin Anderson's poor form continues and Raven Klaasen, the hero in Indian Wells last week, also falls early.
Kevin Anderson’s poor 2017 continues. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP.
South Africa’s run at the Miami Open came to a halt on Friday night, with Kevin Anderson and Raven Klaasen crashing out in the early stages of the ATP Masters tournament.
Anderson lost in straight sets to world No 4 Kei Nishikori of Japan, with the Olympic bronze medallist earning a 6-4 6-3 victory in the second round of the men’s singles competition.
The SA men’s No 1 had defeated Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic 6-2 7-5 in the opening round earlier in the week.
Klaasen, meanwhile, joined American Rajeev Ram in a disappointing first-round loss, turning out as the No 5 seeds after their superb performance at Indian Wells last week where they lifted the doubles title.
Philipp Petzschner of Germany, a former Wimbledon and US Open doubles champion, and Austrian player Alexander Peya earned a 6-3 7-5 win, progressing to the second round.
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