Maria Kirilenko was knocked out of the Dubai Open on Wednesday, the last of three of Russian tennis stars to be ejected in the first two rounds of the $2 million event.
Kirilenko, the world No. 22, served eight double faults on her way to a 6-2, 7-6 (4) loss to Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open winner, ranked 18th.
The other two Russian players, world No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, ranked 27th, both crashed out in the first round.
Pavlyuchenkova was dispatched 6-4, 6-2 by Romanian qualifier Simona Halep, while Kuznetsova lost a tight match to German world No. 19 Julia Goerges, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4.
Belarusian world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, the top seed, pulled out of the tournament with an ankle injury.
The Dubai Open has a $2 million prize fund, with $447,000 for the winner.aza
Last year, Caroline Wozniacki trounced Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3 in the final for her first title of 2011.
