Former banned player Sesil Karatantcheva returns to tour action in Morocco

The Associated Press
Published: April 28, 2008

FEZ, Morocco: Former banned player Sesil Karatantcheva won her first WTA Tour match in nearly 2 1/2 years at the Grand Prix Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem on Monday.

Karatantcheva beat Elena Baltacha of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in her first tour match since November 2005 at Philadelphia.

After reaching the French Open quarterfinals at 15 in 2005, the Bulgarian tested positive twice for the steroid nandrolone.

The International Tennis Federation banned her for two years in January 2006, and as soon as the ban this year she resumed playing, starting on the satellite circuit without a ranking. She won her first two events from qualifying and reached two more finals and earned a direct entry into Fez with her ranking at 243. She has yet to play anyone in the top 100.

In other first-round matches, No. 7-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania struggled past Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and No. 8 Ekaterina Makarova of Russia defeated Andreja Klepac of Slovenia 6-2, 6-3.

Also, Olga Savchuk of Ukraine came from behind to defeat Anne Kremer of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

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