Maria Kirilenko eliminated US Open champion Samantha Stosur from the Pan Pacific Open yesterday, beating the Australian 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round.
The sixth-seeded Stosur, playing for the first time since winning her first career Grand Slam title in New York, trailed in the second set, but rallied to break her Russian opponent and take the final two games to even the match.
The two traded breaks in the third set, but Kirilenko broke again to make it 5-4 before serving out the match.
Photo: AFP
“You never want to go out in the first round after the week I had at the US Open,” Stosur said.
Stosur beat Kirilenko in the fourth round of the US Open.
“I just played her a couple of weeks ago, so I knew what to do,” Kirilenko said. “Every time you win a Grand Slam, it’s tough to win the next tournament.”
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark advanced despite being pushed by unseeded Jarmila Gajdosova, eventually winning 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in the second round.
Third seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also advanced, beating Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 6-1, 6-3. Azarenka saved nine break points and won 72 percent of her first serves.
Also yesterday, ninth seed Agnieskza Radwanska defeated qualifier Angelique Kerber of Germany 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 12th seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia beat Laura Robson of Britain 7-5, 6-4 and 13th seed Julia Goerges of Germany eliminated Greta Arn of Hungary 6-2, 6-1.
In the first round, 10th seed Peng Shuai beat qualifier Jill Craybas of the US 6-2, 6-0, Christina McHale of the US defeated Tamira Paszek of Austria 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 and Coco Vandeweghe of the US won her rain-delayed match that started on Monday over Zheng Jie of China 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-2.
In the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan and Goerges defeated Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova and Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 1-6, 10-8. Vania King of the US and Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova dumped out Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Zheng in another tight battle, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 11-9.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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