San Diego, California , 3 August 2011 | AFP/AAP

Jelena Dokic’s US Open build up is off to a rocky start with a second consecutive first round loss.

The 28-year-old Australian was beaten 6-1 4-6 7-5 by Japan’s Ayumi Morita at the San Diego Open on Tuesday.

The loss followed a first round exit at the hands of China’s Zhang Shaui in Washington last week.

Dokic is returning from a short injury lay-off following her Wimbledon first round loss, looking to regain the sort of winning streak that saw her claim her sixth career WTA title in Kuala Lumpur in February.

Japan’s 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm defied her age to beat newly-married Argentine Gisela Dulko 7-5 6-0 in their first round clash.

Date-Krumm won the event in 1996 back in her first tennis life and just before she retired to eventually spend 11 years out of the game.

Date-Krumm, who took five-time champion Venus Williams to three sets in their Wimbledon second-round encounter in June, said that she had some luck in victory over Dulko, who married a Real Madrid footballer a few weeks ago.

“I was confused a bit in the first set,” admitted the Japanese winner, who returned to tennis in 2008 and got back into WTA play by mid-2009 after years of encouragement from her German husband.

“I knew her game and how she wanted to play. When I was down 3-5 I started a small comeback. I had some mistakes but that was the start.”

Date-Krumm said she never reflects upon the fact that she won the trophy a decade and a half ago.

“It was a long time ago. I had a lot of confidence then. Of course I was much young and all of the muscles and the shots – they were better then than now. But I’m enjoying my tennis more now than I did back then,” she confessed.

Italy’s Alberta Brianti beat tenth-seeded compatriot Flavia Pennetta 1-6 6-2 6-2 while New Zealand’s Croatian-born Marina Erakovic upset Russian number 14 seed Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-2.

Austrian Tamira Paszek, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, rallied to get past Romanian Simona Halep 0-6 6-4 7-5.