It has hardly been a great year in singles for South Africans on the ATP international circuit - emphasised on Tuesday by the first-round defeat of the country's number one, Kevin Anderson, in the Orleans Challenger Open.

In the tournament ensconced in France's scenic wineland - not the better-known New Orleans in the United States' Deep South which adopted the name - Anderson was shaded in two tiebreakers in a 7-6 (4) 7-6 (3) defeat against local product Stephane Robert.

The strength of French tennis is emphasised by the fact that Robert is only ranked 15th in his country - but he proved more than a match for South Africa's number one.

Anderson has picked up a number of ATP points in second-tier Challenger tournaments in the last two months after preferring to stay in Europe instead of making himself available for the critical World Group Davis Cup tie against India at the Ellis Park Indoor Arena.

But despite his ATP world ranking improving from 141st to 125th in the process, Anderson has made no progress in the big-time - having won a mere one of his six games on the main ATP circuit.

The recent performances of South Africa's other leading players are nothing to shout about either, with Rik De Voest now ranked 209th, Izak van der Merwe 274th, Raven Klaasen 284th and Fritz Wolmerans 438th.

Sapa

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