Stuttgart, Germany (SportsNetwork.com) – Rising Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia
upset former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in Tuesday’s opening-round action at
the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
A two-time finalist already in 2015, the 29th-ranked Garcia dismissed the
fifth-seeded Serbian star Ivanovic 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 on the indoor clay at
Porsche Arena.
Ivanovic was last year’s Stuttgart runner-up to reigning three-time champion
Maria Sharapova.
Other matches involving seeds on Day 2 saw No. 6 Russian left-hander Ekaterina
Makarova take out American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) and
No. 8 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain hold off Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina
6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.
Also on Tuesday, Czech Lucie Safarova topped Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna
Bondarenko 7-6 (10-8), 6-4; Spaniard Garbine Muguruza doused Czech Barbora
Strycova 6-1, 6-4; American Madison Brengle bested Italian lucky-loser Alberta
Brianti 6-4, 6-4; and Russian lucky-loser Marina Melnikova, making her WTA
debut, defeated Croatian qualifier Petra Martic 6-4, 6-2.
The top seeds at this star-studded tournament are the French Open champion
and former No. 1 star Sharapova, French Open runner-up Simona Halep, Wimbledon
titlist Petra Kvitova and U.S. Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, the former
top-ranked star who was a Stuttgart finalist back in 2011.
Halep will face the capable Muguruza on Wednesday.
Also on the Day-3 schedule are seventh-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and
German crowd favorites Sabine Lisicki, Angelique Kerber and 2011 champ Julia
Goerges.
The 2015 Stuttgart champion will earn $108,000 and a new Porsche 911 Carrera
sports car.
