Veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm shocks Petrova

Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS):

Japan’s 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm knocked out women’s 12th seed Nadia Petrova out of Australian Open to reach the second round here Tuesday.

The last time Date-Krumm went past the first round at the Australian Open was in 1996. The Japanese showed age was no barrier, powering past the Russian 6-2, 6-0 in one hour and four minutes, reports Xinhua.

Petrova’s 38 unforced errors saw the first big seed player out of the tournament.

“I just eat a lot and sleep a lot. I finish the dinner at 7.30 and sleep before 10 like the kids,” Date-Krumm revealed her secret to playing so well at 42.

“I’m always tired after the match or the practice. So I need time to recover. I eat healthy foods. I drink a lot. It’s simple life. Nothing special.”