MELBOURNE, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese women's player Wang Yafan was left to rue missed opportunities in her straight-set defeat to ninth seed Daria Kasatkina at the Australian Open on Thursday.
The 64th-ranked Wang failed to convert all four of her break points in the first set before Kasatkina took complete control to secure a 6-2, 6-0 victory in one hour and 18 minutes.
Former French Open semifinalist Kasatkina, now through to the third round in Melbourne for just the third time in 10 appearances, did not concede a single break of serve despite Wang having seven break points. Wang was also undone by 42 unforced errors.
Kasatkina will play 24th seed Yulia Putintseva in the third round.
Wang entered the match as the underdog but was buoyed by her recent Grand Slam record, having reached the last 16 at the US Open. After beating Hungary's Anna Bondar in three sets in her opener, Wang targeted Kasatkina's serve early but couldn't capitalize on her chances.
She missed break points in Kasatkina's first two service games, proving costly as Wang was broken in the fourth game.
Despite spirited support from Chinese fans in the stands, Wang let slip another break point with Kasatkina forging a 5-2 lead, and the Russian soon closed out the first set.
Kasatkina kept up the pressure, breaking early in the second set. A dispirited Wang received medical attention on her left hand when trailing 0-3.
Wang had three more break points in the fifth game but couldn't convert, and her bid to make the third round in Melbourne for a second consecutive year ended shortly thereafter.
"In fact, there were a few chances, but I might not have handled them well," Wang told reporters afterward. "I felt that I was a little anxious and played in a hurry, especially since she (Kasatkina) is a good defender." ■
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