Beaten Mauresmo just wants to forget

By Clare Fallon

EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) - Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo is hoping amnesia will set in after she threw away a host of chances to reach the Eastbourne International quarter-finals on Wednesday.

"I guess the main thing is going to be to forget about this match and to focus on next week," the Frenchwoman said after being beaten 7-6 7-6 by Russian world number 46 Ekaterina Makarova in the second round of the Wimbledon warm-up event.

"It was a very cruel match," the former world number one told reporters after squandering five set points in each of the tiebreaks and getting a warning from the umpire when she vented her frustration by deliberately hitting a ball high over a line of trees and into the street beyond Devonshire Park's Court One.

The second tiebreak finished 15-13 after the 21-year-old Makarova converted her fifth matchpoint with a forehand winner.

"This one wasn't for me, I guess," said Mauresmo, 29. "I had opportunities and was not able to take them, I was not able to make the right shot at the right time."

Mauresmo, 29, ranked 17th in the world, had knocked out fourth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva in the first round here and had been looking forward to the short grasscourt season after losing in the first round on clay at the French Open last month.

She said she would focus on looking ahead. "I am definitely looking forward to Wimbledon. It is going to be nice to see the new Centre Court and have a look around and maybe play a few matches on it."

(Editing by John Mehaffey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)