Ana Ivanovic knocked out of Australian Open

Two years ago the ladies final of the Australian Open was a marketing man's dream as glamour girls Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic battled it out in front of an appreciative Melbourne crowd and banks of delighted photographers.

This year there will be no repeat as both of the finalists are already out of the competition. After Sharapova's exit in the first round, Serb Ivanovic followed suit as she fell at the second hurdle to Argentine Gisela Dulko.

The South American has a habit of upsetting the more high profile players on the tour. Last summer it was Dulko who knocked Sharapova out of Wimbledon. And not only is the photogenic Argentine a match for the likes of Ivanovic and Sharapova on the court, she also has a growing band of admirers off it as well.

Dulko took down her latest victim 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 in two-and-three-quarter hours. The career of former world number one Ivanovic seems to be on a downward spiral. After losing the Australian final in 2008 she won the French Open, but since then has failed to make it beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam in seven attempts since then. The 22-year-old is now likely to fall lower than her current ranking of 21.

There was more good news for Britain on the fourth day of competition as Laura Robson celebrated her 16th birthday by winning her women's doubles first-round match.

Robson is paired with Australian Sally Peers and they overcame Americans Jill Craybas and Abigail Spears 6-3, 7-5. Robson is already a crowd favourite down under and the teenager, who was born in Melbourne, revlealed she had been offered the chance to change her national allegiance.

"[The crowd] get into it," she said. "At Wimbledon they certainly don't make chants up for every change of ends. It was pretty interesting. I was handed a certificate to sign to be an Australian as well but they said if I wanted my birthday present I had to sign it, so I didn't."

Robson's fellow Brits Elena Baltacha, who is still in the singles, and Sarah Borwell also progressed. Baltacha with her Latvian partner Liga Dekmeijere, and Borwell and American team-mate Raquel Kops-Jones both saw off their first round opponents. ·