Peer survives under pressure from Likhovtseva

EASTBOURNE, England, June 19 (Reuters) Sixth seeded Israeli Shahar Peer battled through a tough first match at the Eastbourne International today against an injured but determined Elena Likhovtseva.

Peer won 6-2 5-7 6-4 in a first-round match that lasted two-and-a-half hours.

Likhovtseva was ranked 15th in the world eight years ago but, after two seasons dogged by illness and injury, has slid down to number 49.

The 31-year-old Russian, who had to fight her way through the qualifiers at this Wimbledon warm-up event, suffered another thigh injury when she skidded across the grass into the semi-splits in the second game of the second set.

She soldiered on, saving six breakpoints in a long third game that went 10 times to deuce, before taking advantage of a dip in form by the Israeli world number 16 to go 4-1 ahead.

Peer came back to 5-5 but was broken to love in the 12th game to allow Likhovtseva to take the set.

The Russian took time out for medical treatment at the start of the third set and returned to court with strapping on her thigh. She looked likely to pull off a brave win when she broke twice to go 4-0 up but allowed Peer to level the score again and then surrendered her own serve to love in the 10th game.

Peer, a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in January, will now play Japan's Aiko Nakamura who beat Aravane Rezai of France 6-1 6-4.

The top seeds at Eastbourne, led by world number one Justine Henin, had first-round byes and enter the fray tomorrow.

REUTERS BJR VV1948