Sydney, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) – Third-seeded former champion
Agnieszka Radwanska moved on, while former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki
retired from her first-round match Monday at the Sydney International tennis
event because of a wrist injury.
The fourth-seeded Wozniacki dropped the opening set to Czech Barbora
Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, then called it quits with the second set even at 1-1.
The U.S. Open runner-up Wozniacki was coming off a loss to Venus Williams in
Saturday’s ASB Classic final in Auckland.
Meanwhile, Radwanska rolled past France’s Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-2 and fifth-
seeded German and last year’s Sydney runner-up, Angelique Kerber, overcame
Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Day 2.
Sixth-seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova posted a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 win over
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and seventh-seeded Slovakian, 2103 Sydney runner-up
and last year’s Aussie Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova defeated French
qualifier Kristina Mladenovic 6-2, 6-2.
Another qualifier, last year’s Sydney champion Tsvetana Pironkova of
Bulgaria, knocked out eighth-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
Aussie Samantha Stosur, the 2005 runner-up at this hardcourt event, outlasted
Czech Lucie Safarova 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-3 in a match that exceeded three
hours.
Also on Monday, Aussie wild card Jarmila Gajdosova beat German Andrea Petkovic
6-1, 7-6 (7-5); Chinese Peng Shuai came back to best Russian Anastasia
Pavlyuchenkova 1-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4; rising Spaniard Garbine Muguruza erased
former French Open runner-up Sara Errani 6-0, 7-5; Czech slugger Karolina
Pliskova dismissed Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog 6-4, 6-4; and Spaniard
Carla Suarez Navarro outlasted former Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki 6-3,
3-6, 7-6 (7-4).
The second round will be staged Tuesday, including matches for top-seeded
Simona Halep, No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova, Radwanska and Kerber. The French Open
runner-up Halep, fresh off her season-opening title in China last week, will
take on Pliskova, while the Wimbledon champion Kvitova will encounter Peng and
Radwanska will face Muguruza.
This week’s winner will take home $124,000.
