Petrova upsets Martinez in Moscow

Nadejda Petrova, a 17-year-old Russian, produced a major upset late on Tuesday as she beat sixth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Nadejda Petrova, a 17-year-old Russian, produced a major upset late on Tuesday as she beat sixth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Petrova, ranked 123rd in the world, took the lead in the second game of the first set and then again broke Martinez in the sixth game to stay ahead 5-1. She fired an ace to take the first set.

In the tough second set, the Spaniard double-faulted in the fifth game as the Russian boosted her game to go ahead 3-2. She then fired two aces but Martinez equalized 3-3. Martinez's nerves broke in the ninth game when down love-40; she fought to one point back then double-faulted on the next serve.

Cheered by the home crowd, Petrova, the 1998 French Open junior champion, held her serve to take revenge for a defeat in the second round at last year's Kremlin Cup, when she lost to Martinez 0-6, 0-6.

" 'I will play my best match today,' I thought before the game today, and I really did it," Petrova said after the match.

In a tough all-Russian battle that put together two Russian Fed Cup teammates, Tatjana Panova downed Elena Dementieva 7-6 (9-7), 1-6, 7-5. In the second round, Panova, a wild card for the tournament, will meet fourth-seed Nathalie Tauziat of France.