Shahar Peer won the last six games to beat Elena Likhovtseva of Russia 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 on Tuesday and advance to the second round of the Eastbourne International.
The sixth-seeded Israeli wasted three breakpoints at 1-1 in the second set before dropping serve in the next game to be 3-1 down. Peer won three straight games to level at 5-5, but was broken again to lose the set.
Likhovtseva then led 4-0 and held a point for 5-0 in the deciding set before Peer swept the next six games to win just her second ever grass-court match.
"It's a good win to get because Elena is very experienced and a good player on grass. I had a tough one," Peer said. "But I'm happy I found my game in the end and hope I will get more used to grass every round."
Eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli defeated Tathiana Garbin 6-2, 6-3 to also progress. Bartoli won four consecutive games from 1-1 in the first set. Bartoli broke Garbin for the sixth time to close out the match.
Agnieszka Radwanska beat Jill Craybas 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 to set up a clash with top-seeded Justine Henin, and Mara Santangelo defeated Ai Sugiyama 7-6 (3), 6-3 and will next meet No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo.
There were also wins for British qualifiers Elena Baltacha and Kate O'Brien, Japanese qualifier Aiko Nakamura, Sybille Bammer of Austria and Nathalie Dechy of France.
Top-seeded Tommy Robredo beat Dutch qualifier Michel Koning 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Ordina Open.
Fifth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain lost 6-2, 3-6, 2-6 to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, and Guillermo Canas defeated Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (5), 7-5 at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament.
The third-seeded Canas converted one of six breakpoints in the second set to seal the match after there were no breaks of serve in the first.
Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, who won his first title in Munich last month, had to retire with a shoulder injury after losing the opening set 6-2 against Sergio Roitman of Argentina.
On the women's side, fourth-seeded Dinara Safina struggled before beating French qualifier Camille Pin 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. The match was suspended Monday due to rain at 2-2 in the second set.
Also in the first round, fifth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova beat Olga Poutchkova 6-2, 6-1.
In the second round, French Open finalist Ana Ivanovic beat Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 7-6 (4), 6-2, and eighth-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine topped Roberta Vinci of Italy 7-6 (4), 6-3.
RSS