Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki loses opener at Eastbourne; Kim Clijsters wins

Defending champ Wozniacki out, Clijsters wins

EASTBOURNE, England — Aravane Rezai of France upset defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the first round of the Eastbourne International on Tuesday.

Rezai’s aggressive play helped her overcome blustery conditions in the Wimbledon warmup being played on grass.

“She played well, she tried to take the ball early and hit every shot,” Wozniacki said. “Definitely, I would like to have got some more matches here. But I just need to keep my head up and play some practice matches and prepare for Wimbledon that way.”

Kim Clijsters marked her first match on grass in nearly four years with a 6-1, 6-1 win over fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.

Clijsters, whose last appearance on the surface came in the 2006 Wimbledon semifinals, outplayed her 20-year-old opponent in a match that lasted just 54 minutes.

Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska also was beaten, the 2008 champion losing 7-6 (2), 6-1 to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

The top-seeded Wozniacki failed to convert two break points to go 4-2 ahead in the first set. Rezai then broke for 5-4, when Wozniacki netted a forehand, and served out for the set.

Rezai squandered three break points at the start of the second set, before Wozniacki broke for 2-0 when her opponent double-faulted. A crosscourt forehand winner then gave the Danish player a second break for 5-1 and she clinched the set to love.

Rezai earned the only break of the third set at 3-2 by forcing a backhand error from Wozniacki.