Robson seen off by Stephens (From Salisbury Journal)
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Robson seen off by Stephens
7:53am Sunday 6th January 2013 in National Sport News © Press Association 2013
Laura Robson was defeated in the Moorilla Hobart International first round
Great Britain's Laura Robson crashed out in the first round of her final tournament before the Australian Open, losing 6-4 7-6 (7/4) to eighth seed Sloane Stephens of the United States in the Moorilla Hobart International.
A single break in the first game of the match was enough for Stephens to win the first set, and she led with a break at 3-1 in the second.
Robson, who at 53 is ranked 15 places beneath her opponent, fought back to take the set into a tie-break, but Stephens prevailed.
There were missed chances for Robson, who had six break-point opportunities in the match, including four in the first set.
British number one Heather Watson withdrew from the tournament because of injury.
Belarusian Olga Govortsova caused an upset with a comfortable straight-sets win over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro.
The fifth seed, ranked 34 in the world, was defeated 6-2 6-1 by a player ranked 57.
