Wednesday, September 13 2006 12:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bali: Defending champion Lindsay Davenport wins her opening match while Daniela Hantuchova crashes to a 7-5, 6-2 defeat as the past comes back to haunt the Slovak at the Wismilak International Tuesday (12 Sep, 2006).

Davenport has a brief spat with the chair umpire after winning the first set as she protests heavily against unfavorable over-rules of two line calls in the second game of the second set.

But the American third seed shrugged off disappointment, bearing down to post a decisive 7-5, 6-1 win over Russian Galina Voskoboeva to open her week at the beachside resort.

"I got better as the match went on," says the 30-year-old whose future is uncertain as hints of retirement surface.

"The first match is always the most important to me, it was good to get through it." "She played well at the start but then started making errors. I wanted a good start in the second set, so I was disappointed about the linecalls." "I was unfortunate on two of three points."

Hantuchova, seeded fifth, admits that the ghost of Serena Williams comes back to haunt her in her first-round loss to Hungarian Melinda Czink.

The willowy Slovak, who leads 5-2 in the first first set before collapsing, says that the identical scenario against Williams at the US Open second round is preying on her mind.

That is enough to make sure the upset scenario again becomes reality.

"I was thinking about that match during this one," says a player who has yet to get past a third round since Wimbledon.

"It's tough for me to change that kind of (negative) thinking under match pressure. I played badly and she played well, it was one of those days." "I had no rhythm. If I could have won the first set, then I would have had a chance today."

The slumping Slovak lets go of her early lead against No. 84 Czink, whose best this season is a Bangalore semi-final in February.

Hantuchova manages to miss out on three set points in the opener, then drops her sixth game in succession as she lost serve to start the second. The first three games of that set are breaks.

French sixth seed Marion Bartoli advances over a local as she easily defeats Ayu-Fani Damayanti of Indonesia 6-1, 6-0. Australian Casey Dellacqua put out Indonesian Lavinia Tananta 6-0, 6-2.

In other first-round results, Japan's Erika Takao beats home hope Vivien Silfany 6-3, 6-1 while Czech Hana Sromova advanced over Japan's Junri Namigata 6-3, 6-1.