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Molik succumbs after lengthy fight
 Molik, above, failed to repeat her Bali victory over her Argentine opponent BEIJING, China -- Fifth seed Alica Molik battled for nearly three hours before crashing out 7-6 6-7 6-4 Monday night to Mariana Diaz-Oliva in the first round of the China Open. Australian Molik, lacking form and fitness after an inner ear infection, was unable to repeat her straight-sets win last week in Bali over the 61st-ranked Argentine. The late injury pullout of Lindsay Davenport ensures top seed Maria Sharapova will keep the world number one ranking after this week's Beijing tournament. Californian Davenport, who has suffered with back problems off and on in recent months and skipped much of the pre-US Open summer due to fitness problems, lifted her 49th career title in Bali as she beat Italian Francesca Schiavone. Her place in this week's draw was taken by German Anna-Lena Groenfeld with Venus and Serena Williams also in the line-up but not scheduled to play until Wednesday. In Monday's only other match, Ai Sugiyama defeated Japanese compatriot Akiko Morigami 7-6 6-4. New eventPuerto Rico's Vilmarie Castellvi defeated Switzerland's Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-4, 6-4 Monday in the opening round of the Sunfeast Open, a new event on the WTA Tour, in Calcutta. "I played an aggressive game ... but I need to lift my game further to regularly produce good results," said world number 173 Castellvi after beating her 99th-ranked rival. Anastasia Myskina, part of Russia's Fed Cup-winning team last weekend, is seeded first in the hardcourt tournament. In other first-round matches, Shikha Uberoi of India beat Ryoko Fuda of Japan 6-1, 6-3, and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia defeated qualifier Ankita Bhambri of India 7-6 6-2. Puerto Rico's Vilmarie Castellvi caused a mild flutter by defeating the higher-ranked Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 6-4 6-4 Monday in the opening round of the WTA Tour's Sunfeast Open tennis tournament in Calcutta. Castellvi, ranked 173, prevailed over the 99th-placed Gagliardi in a contest that featured 10 breaks in two sets. "I played an aggressive game not worrying about the fact that my opponent was ranked 73 places above me," Castellvi said. "But I need to lift my game further to regularly produce good results," she said. India's Shikha Uberoi sailed into the second round with a 6-1 6-3 victory against Ryoko Fuda of Japan. 
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