She took only a game from Uzbekistan teenager Varvara Lepchenko, the 22nd seeded, before losing the match 6-1 6-0 in only 57 minutes on court four.

Despite four aces and a first serve percentage at 71, Tamarine lost the first set in only 28 minutes and struggled throughout the rest of the match.

That loss worsened Tamarine's record in 2006 to 3-5. The Thai has yet to get past the first round in a main draw since January. With her ranking falling to No 151 this week, Tamarine will next play in Miami, Florida, in the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Lindsay Davenport head the field for the US$2.1 million WTA hard court tournament that starts in Indian Wells, California, today as part of the Pacific Life Open.

Both defending champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium, and the woman chasing her for the world No 1 ranking, France's Amelie Mauresmo, are absent, leaving world No 3 Henin-Hardenne and fourth-ranked Davenport - both former champions here - to headline a field that also includes former world No 1 Maria Sharapova, who is seeded third.

Two more Russians, Elena Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina, are the fourth and fifth seeds, followed by Italy's Flavia Pennetta, Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic.

Gronefeld arrives in the California desert having claimed her first WTA title, beating Pennetta in the final in Acapulco at the weekend.

Martina Hingis, who beat Daven-port in the final in 1998, received a wild card and is seeded 19th in a draw in which the top 32 women receive first-round byes.