Ana Ivanovic goes out with a whimper

ANA Ivanovic hit another low in her slide since winning the French Open two years ago, losing 6-3, 6-0 to 28th-seeded Alisa Kleybanova of Russia in the second round at rainy Roland Garoos yesterday.

The former No 1 was unseeded because she's ranked only 42nd. The defeat marked her earliest exit in six trips to the French Open. "It was a combination of a few things," Ivanovic said. "I don't think I played that bad, actually. For a while I think she didn't miss a ball at all."

The match lasted barely an hour – brief enough to be completed between showers. Play was delayed for four-and-a-half hours at the start, and there were two later interruptions.

Ivanovic has been nursing a right shoulder injury, and her serve was unreliable against Kleybanova. Ivanovic made less than half her first serves, including only 35 per cent in the second set, and she won just 17 service points while double-faulting seven times.

The Serb is 10-10 this year and has won a total of two matches in the past three Grand Slam tournaments. Last winter she hired Steffi Graf's old coach, Heinz Gunthardt, and she said she has since made progress.

"It's going to take some time for it to become a pattern and just being used to competing again at that high level against top players," Ivanovic said. "Some days it might be there, some days might not. No doubt I'm on the right way."

Kleybanova advanced to the third round for the first time.

In other women's matches, No 4 seed Jelena Jankovic and No 11 Li Na won, while 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm lost to Jarmila Groth of Australia 6-0, 6-3.

Date Krumm became the oldest woman since 1985 to reach the second round when she upset former No 1 Dinara Safina, the runner-up in 2008 and 2009.

Three seeded women were beaten: No 8 Agnieszka Radwanska, No 21 Vera Zvonareva and No 32 Kateryna Bondarenko.

Radwanska was upset by Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3. Zvonareva lost to Anastasia Rodionova of Australia 6-4, 6-4. Bondarenko was beaten by Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-4, 6-1.

Jankovic eliminated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Na defeated Stephanie Cohen-Aloro following the long delay at the start of the day, 6-2, 6-2.

"It's not very pleasant to have to wait," Cohen-Aloro said. "But we're all in the same situation."

Justine Henin will have to return today to complete her French Open second-round clash with Klara Zakopalova after play was suspended in the second set. The Belgian led 6-3, 3-2 when the conditions brought an end to the night's play at Roland Garros, and will return confident of wrapping up victory.