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Dementieva continues winning ways

Mikhail Youzhny of Russia hits a return to Marc Rosset of Switzerland during their match at the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament in Moscow on Tuesday. PHOTO: EPA

French and US Open runner-up Elena Dementieva defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Kremlin Cup.

American Venus Williams also advanced in her first match since losing to Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round of the US Open, eliminating Russian qualifier Alina Jidkova 6-4, 6-4.

The fifth-seeded Dementieva was one of four Russian women ranked in the top 20 that won in straight sets Tuesday.

Sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva breezed past Nathalie Dechy of France 6-0, 6-2; eighth-seeded Nadia Petrova disposed of Argentina's Paola Suares 7-5, 6-4; and unseeded Elena Bovina needed just 52 minutes to beat Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-3.

The sixth-ranked Dementieva, who will turn 23 on Friday, jumped to a 4-0 lead and won the opening set in 26 minutes.

In the second set, both players held serve until Dementieva broke Schnyder in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead. She consolidated the lead by winning on her serve and then broke the Swiss again to complete the victory in 65 minutes.

"She is not an easy opponent," Dementieva said. "I like to trap my opponents in the corners and she forced me today to play what is not my tennis."

In second round she will take on Croatian qualifier Sanda Mamic, who upset French veteran Mary Pierce 6-0, 6-4.

Bovina, ranked 19th, was drawn to play top seed Amelie Mauresmo in the second round, but the Frenchwoman withdrew because of a thigh injury.

"It's a pity. She was in a perfect form," Bovina said.

Zvonareva, the US Open champion with American Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles, needed just 19 minutes to win the first set of her match.

In the second set, the Russian broke Dechy twice for a 5-2 lead but she squandered two match points on her serve in the seventh game before closing the set and the match with a service winner on deuce.

"I was playing very confidently and never allowed her to get into the game," said Zvonareva, who is looking for her second singles title this season.

In the second round, Zvonareva will face Karolina Sprem of Croatia, who downed Israel's Anna Smashnova 6-1, 6-3.

"We played several times as juniors and I know what to expect from her. I'll have to struggle for every ball," Zvonareva said of Sprem.

Williams, ranked 12th, served five aces and committed six double faults playing against unheralded 27-year-old Russian.

"She played really well today, but my biggest challenge was myself," Williams said. "I was a bit rusty after several weeks off."

After trading serves early in the first set, Williams capitalized on Jidkova's double fault in the ninth game for a break and served for the set. She broke the Russian in the opening game of the second set and saved a break point in the next one on the way to a 4-1 lead, but Jidkova leveled at 4-4.

The American reclaimed the initiative in the ninth game, breaking the Russian at love and served out for the set and the match.

In early men's play, third-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia advanced with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Thomas Johansson of Sweden, and fifth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny beat Swiss veteran Marc Rosset 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Tashkent Open

Fifth-seeded Anca Barna of Germany became the first player to advance to the quarterfinals yesterday with a hard fought 7-5, 6-1 win over Ekaterina Bychkova of Russia.

No. 3 Spaniard Marta Marrero of Spain rallied from a set down to advance to the second round with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus.

Barna traded break points with Bychkova in a tough first set before cruising through the decider to book her place in the final eight.

"It is always good to win," Barna said, acknowledging the first set had been a tough fight.

Marrero lost the first set Poutchek before dominating the rest of the match.

In other play Wednesday, sixth-seeded Anna-Lena Groenfeld defeated fellow German Antonia Matic, 6-4, 6-4, while Italy's Antonella Serra Zanetti advanced to the second round after Julia Schruff of Germany retired injured with the scores at 6-3, 3-0.

Barna said she hoped to play Zanetti in the quarterfinals and not Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan, the hometown favorite who upset top-seeded Marion Bartoli of France in first-round play Tuesday.

CA Trophy

Top-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina had to battle harder than expected, but still managed to beat qualifier Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-4, 6-3 during the US$845,908 tournament.

The former Wimbledon finalist profited from two unforced errors in the eighth game of the first set to earn the decisive break.

Nalbandian will next face Stefan Koubek of Austria, who defeated Alberto Martin of Spain 7-5, 6-1.

Also, Olympic champion Nicolas Massu of Chile advanced to the second round for the first time in four tries, edging Karol Kucera of Slovakia 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4.

Following early exits the last three years, Massu said he was "all set for success this time."

But despite having seven break points, Massu managed only one break in the first set.

In the second set, Massu broke Kucera early to take a 3-1 lead, but the Slovak broke back in the seventh game as Massu started to struggled.

Massu, who won the Olympic singles and doubles titles in Athens, then closed out the match after breaking Kucera in the third set.

"It was very difficult, but you cannot choose how your opponent is playing," Massu said. "I did not play well at the end of the second set, so Karol got a chance to come back."

Massu will next play South African qualifier Rik de Voest.

Other winners included Tommy Haas of Germany, Luis Horna of Peru and David Sanguinetti of Italy.

Haas, the 2001 champion, ousted Wesley Moodie of South Africa 6-3, 6-0, while Horna topped David Ferrer of Spain 6-3, 6-2 and Sanguinetti edged Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 7-6 (7), 7-5.

Open de Moselle

Top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia downed Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the US$446,050 tennis tournament on Tuesday.

Defending champion Arnaud Clement of France, countryman Jerome Haehnel and Alex Corretja of Spain also won.

Clement, a former Australian Open finalist, downed eighth-seeded Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 7-6 (3), while Haehnel advanced to the second round by beating Jose Acasuso of Argentina 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Corretja, the French Open runner-up in 2001, defeated fourth-seeded Oliver Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

Also, Florent Serra of France beat Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 and Marc Gicquel of France defeated countryman Gilles Simon 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5).
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