Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scoreboard - Live Odds - Sporting Events - Live Lines

Zvonareva, Szavay advance in Rome

Mon 12th, May 2008

Rome, Italy (Sports Network) - Tenth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva and 11th- seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay were among Monday's first-round winners at the $1.34 million Italian Open, a clay-court French Open tune-up.

Zvonareva drubbed Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3, while Szavay dismantled Chinese Zi Yan 6-1, 6-1 at Foro Italico. The hot Zvonareva is fresh off her title in Prague two weeks ago and currently riding a six-match overall winning streak, which includes a Fed Cup victory last month. The surging Russian also posted a runner-up finish against American Serena Williams in Charleston last month and has reached at least the quarterfinals in six straight and eight of her nine events so far this season.

The 23-year-old Zvonareva, who quietly leads the WTA Tour with 32 match wins this year, will take on Czech Iveta Benesova in the round of 32 here.

Twelfth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska routed Uzbekistanian qualifier Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3, 6-0, while 17th-seeded Italian crowd favorite Francesca Schiavone moved on with a 6-4, 7-5 decision against Czech Lucie Safarova.

In other first-round action, Italian wild card Sara Errani outlasted Chinese qualifier Shuai Peng 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu stopped American Jill Craybas 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko blitzed Italian wild card Mara Santangelo 6-2, 6-2; and Aussie Samantha Stosur stifled Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek 6-3, 6-2. Bondarenko is rewarded with a second-rounder against a fifth-seeded Serena, while Stosur, playing in her first WTA event since last year's U.S. Open, will have to face seventh-seeded Venus Williams on Tuesday.

Additional wins came for Belarusian Olga Govortsova, the aforementioned qualifier Benesova, Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and lucky-loser Virginia Ruano Pascual, France's Virginie Razzano and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. Govortsova will meet third-seeded and 2007 Rome runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.

Also on Monday, last week's surprise Berlin champion, Dinara Safina, pulled out of Rome, citing a back injury. The capable Russian stunned Justine Henin and Serena on her way to the final at the German Open, where she upset Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian finale.

Safina was the Italian Open runner-up two years ago.

This week's top seeds are Australian and French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Aussie Open champ Maria Sharapova of Russia. Serbian Jelena Jankovic defeated the Russian Kuznetsova in last year's Rome finale.

This year's titlist will collect $196,900.

Where the players come to play and STAY.

Sports Information you need to win BIG.

Sports Contests – Think you know the game?

Poker Promotion

Find NC State basketball tickets at TickCo and watch the college basketball season wrap up with Final Four tickets!

Contact Us | Help | Site Map| Sport Links

Sportsbook Directory | Casinos Directory | Poker Room Directory | Racebook Directory | Partners Directory