Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria
Sharapova were among those posting wins Monday at the $4.8 million China Open
tennis event.
The world No. 1 Azarenka throttled France's Alize Cornet 6-1, 6-0 in 66
minutes, while the second-seeded French Open champion and former top-ranked
star Sharapova handled Romanian Simona Halep 7-5, 7-5 in opening-round action
at Beijing's National Tennis Centre.
The Australian Open champion and U.S. Open runner-up Azarenka's second-round
opponent on Tuesday will be German slugger Sabine Lisicki, while the Russian
Sharapova will meet Romanian Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday.
A big second-round upset occurred when Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro doused
fourth-seeded former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic
6-3, 6-2, while hot Dane Caroline Wozniacki avoided an upset by sneaking past
South African Chanelle Scheepers 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 in round one. The 10th-
seeded Wozniacki has won nine of her last 10 matches, including her first
title of the year in Seoul two weeks ago.
The 2010 China Open champion Wozniacki's second-round opponent on Tuesday will
be Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh, who titled in Guangzhou, China two weeks ago.
Eleventh-seeded former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia reached the third
round by overcoming American Varvara Lepchenko 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Some other second-round action saw Chinese Peng Shuai sneak past Yaroslava
Shvedova 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 and Russian qualifier Elena Vesnina defeat Austrian
Tamira Paszek 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
Additional opening-round wins came for the aforementioned Lisicki and Cirstea,
Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog and Spanish qualifier Lara Arruabarrena-
Vecino. Lisicki outlasted Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
Also on Tuesday, reigning China Open champ and 2009 runner-up Agnieszka
Radwanska will take on Chinese Zhang Shuai in the second round. The 2012
Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska beat German Andrea Petkovic in last year's
Beijing finale.
The 2012 China Open champion will enjoy a windfall of $848,000.
The Sports Network