Thursday February 10 1:54 PM ET
PARIS (Reuters) - Fifth seed Amelie Mauresmo, a finalist last year, squandered a match point and crashed out of the Paris Open indoor tournament to fellow Frenchwoman Sarah Pitkowski on Thursday.
Pitkowski, known for her fighting spirit, beat Mauresmo 0-6, 7-6, 6-2 in their second-round match at the Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium after Mauresmo held match point at 6-5 up in the second set. ''I'm not over the moon, no. This victory is not an end in itself, just another step forward,'' the 39th-ranked Pitkowski said.
''I don't know exactly when the match turned, but I know I couldn't hear the crowd any more, I was in my own bubble. I suppose that's the state the best find themselves in,'' she said.
Mauresmo said: ''This defeat is 80 percent mental. I was not completely free on the court. And after the 6-0 of the first set I was tense.''