Czech-born Marrtina Navratilova and doubles partner Barbora Strycova made an early exit from the WTA Prague Open tennis tournament on Thursday.
The number one seeded doubles pair were defeated in the quarter finals by the Americans Ashley Harkleroad and Bethanie Mattek in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
The defeat ended an emotional return to Prague for Navratilova, the 49-year-old tennis legend. She last played in the Czech capital in 1986 during a Fed Cup match for the United States against the then Czechoslovakia.
Navratilova, who notched up 58 Grand Slam victories during a career spanning more than 30 years now, including 18 singles triumphs, quit communist Czechoslovakia for the United States in 1975. She became an American citizen in 1981.
The 4,000-strong crowd greeted Navratilova and Strycova's every point with enthusiastic applause. The pair took a two-game lead in the second set, suggesting a comeback was on the cards, but then lost six games in a row. Navratilova stopped to applaud the centre court crowd before leaving for the changing rooms.
"I am disappointed, mainly because I wanted to win here for the crowd who have not had the opportunity to see me," said Navratilova.
"Our main problem during the game was that we could not win Barbora's service. That was the beginning and the end of the game," she said, adding that luck was against them during the match.
Navratilova, playing with her 20-year-old Czech partner for the first time, was given a standing ovation by the Prague public when she took to the courts for her first round match on Tuesday. Eleven years ago, Navratilova also played in a singles exhibition match in Prague against France's Mary Pierce.
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