Johannesburg [South Africa]: World No. 1 Angelique Kerber crashed out of the Italian Open after suffering straight-set defeat against Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the second round clash on Wednesday.
Kontaveit defeated the top seed 6-4, 6-0 in a contest that lasted less than an hour.
The German’s defeat comes just two days after she was confirmed at the top of the WTA rankings, displacing Serena Williams after making it to the third round at last week’s Madrid Open, reports Sport24.
Earlier, men’s top seed Andy Murray also exited the Rome tournament at the second-round stage.
Meanwhile, 14-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal eased through to the third round when opponent Nicolas Almagro retired after injuring his knee early in the first set. (ANI)