DOHA, Qatar — Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber made a disappointing return to tournament tennis on Tuesday, losing 7-5, 6-1 to China's Zheng Saisai in the second round at the Qatar Open.
Kerber beat Serena Williams at Melbourne in the opening Grand Slam of the year on Jan. 30. The top-seeded Kerber split two matches in Germany's loss to Switzerland in the Fed Cup and received a first-round bye at Doha.
The tournament also lost its second-seeded player when Simona Halep, the 2014 champion, was beaten by Russian qualifier Elena Vesnina 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-1.
Zheng will play Eugenie Bouchard in the third round after the Canadian beat Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (0), 7-5.