TORONTO (AP) Maria Sharapova lost in the third round of the Rogers Cup on Thursday, 6-3, 7-5 to 135th-ranked Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan.
This was the Russian's second tournament since losing to Petra Kvitova in the Wimbledon final. Sharapova lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals at Stanford last month.
Two months after powering her way to the French Open title, Li Na of China lost to Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4. The No. 6 seed became the latest casualty of the draw, bowing out and feeling ``like a junior on the court,'' Li said.
Li beat Sharapova in the semis on the way to becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title on the clay courts of Roland Garros in June. She then lost in the second round at Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
Li was playing her first match of the week after a bye and a walkover victory when compatriot Shuai Peng withdrew with an injury.
The match was held during a power outage at the venue - a Toronto Hydro problem, according to Rogers Cup organizers. The main scoreboard stayed dark for just over an hour, while the corner scoreboard periodically worked, powered by a backup generator.
The lack of match play was obvious for Li, who fired numerous returns long on another blustery day at the Rexall Centre. She bowed out when she hit a forehand into the net.
It's always tough after a break to come back for the first match, because I had six or seven weeks that I didn't play a tournament,'' Li said.At the beginning of the match I didn't even know what I should do on the court, not like during the clay-court season.''
No. 11 Andrea Petkovic of Germany joined Stosur in the quarterfinals after cruising by the seventh-seeded Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2.
It proved to be another windy day on the court, swirling around the stadium at 15 mph. It caused problems with the serving toss and made for a chilly match for spectators.
Today was so, so windy, I couldn't use my serve a lot in the first serves,'' Li said.If you watched the match, everyone can see, she has a huge, big serve. It's tough for me to return.''
The 29-year-old Li defeated Francesca Schiavone in the French Open final, the most-watched tennis match in China's history. But at the post-match press conference on Thursday, black tape wrapped around her right knee, Li deflected questions about her Grand Slam victory.
French Open in over,'' she said bluntly.Of course it was a good experience, exciting moment for me. But right now, I should focus on the hard-court season.''
The losses by Sharapova and Li come a day after top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki was upset by No. 22 Roberta Vinci. No Canadian players remain in the singles draw.