China's Yan, Peng stopped in first round of Italian Open
13/5/2008 17:24
China's Yan Zi ang Peng Shuai were both ousted from the Italian Open
women's singles first round yesterday, as all seeds made it through.
Yan, a
23-year-old doubles specialist, currently ranked 41st on the WTA Tour standings,
was made light work 6-1, 6-1 by Hungarian 11th seed Agnes Szavay, while
qualifier Peng lost to wild card Sara Errani 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
There's split
fortunes for two players competing in their first Tour events of the
year.
Australian Samantha Stosur, who hadn't played a Tour event since last
year's US Open, beat Michaella Krajieck 6-3, 6-2, while home wildcard Mara
Santangelo, having not played since the Fed Cup Final last September, lost to
Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2.
Stosur set up a second-round encounter
with seven-seeded Venus Williams when the American six-time grand slam champion
returns this week after more than a month out of action due to an unspecified
medical problem.
Bondarenko will next face fifth seed Serena Williams, who
like her sister Venus is a former Italian Open champion.
Russian 10th seed
Vera Zvonareva stayed on course to meet Venus Williams in the third round by
beating Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3.
Her compatriot Dinara Safina, who won
the German Open on Sunday and was defeated in the Rome final by Martina Hingis
in 2006, has pulled out of the tournament with a back injury, organisers said.
Her place has gone to Austria's Sybille Bammer.
Third seed Svetlana
Kuznetsova, another Russian, will meet Belarusian Olga Govortsova, who rallied
to beat Italy's Karin Knapp 4-6 6-1 6-2.
Big names like Russian world number
two Maria Sharapova, top seed Ana Ivanovic and both Williams sisters have byes
to the second round and make their first appearances of the week today.
Xinhua
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