Sobbing Petkovic sets up Stuttgart clash with Jankovic
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Germany's Andrea Petkovic sobbed during a changeover but set up a second round clash against Jelena Jankovic after battling past Austrian qualifier Tamira Paszek 3-6 6-2 in Stuttgart on Tuesday.
Serbia's former world number one Jankovic found no resistance from Spaniard Beatriz Garcia Vidagany, easing through in the claycourt tournament with a 6-1 6-2 victory. Paszek, 20 and ranked 88th, showed no signs of nerves, punishing local favorite Petkovic with a series of bludgeoning forehands to claim the first set with her stunned opponent double-faulting on set point and then sobbing.
Petkovic, the world number 19 who was a quarter-finalist at Janauary's Australian Open, took the initiative early in the second set with more aggressive play but Paszek looked to have found a way back into the match taking a 2-0 lead in the third.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, the 23-year-old roared back with a series of stinging baseline shots to win the next six games, firing a forehand down the line on her first matchpoint after two hours and 17 minutes.
"I was tired and needed a bit of time to get started, just like a diesel engine," the German number one, who helped her nation beat the United States in the Fed Cup at the weekend, said in a courtside interview.
"I felt the crowd giving me a boost because maybe I was a bit too comfortable after the weekend (win)."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fellow Germans Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges joined her in the next round, albeit with far less trouble.
Lisicki looked to be back to her best after an injury-hit 2010, firing 14 aces past Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova to win 7-5 7-6.
Cibulkova managed to force a second set tiebreak but Lisicki fought back, winning six straight points to clinch the match and set up a second round clash with world number six Li Na of China, runner-up at this year's Australian Open.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Goerges also advanced with a 6-3 6-1 win over Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek and will meet fourth seed Victoria Azarenka.
Australian Samantha Stosur, out to defend a bagful of points earned during her fine 2010 claycourt season that culminated with a French Open final, eased past Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 7-5 6-1.
Russian Anna Chakvetadze retired for the third straight tournament, this time against Slovakian Zuzana Kucova after collapsing in the third set.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}World number one Caroline Wozniacki is in action on Wednesday against Kucova.
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Mark Meadows)