Zvonareva converts service breaks for win
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No. 3 ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia converted the only two service breaks of the match, enabling her to beat qualifier Jill Craybas 6-4, 7-5 Tuesday night in the Mercury Insurance Open.
The top-seeded Zvonareva, playing her opening match, had more trouble than expected against the American. Craybas won two qualifying matches to get into the main draw, then won her first-round match on Monday.
"She got a couple of matches under her belt and got used to the conditions so I knew it was going to be a tough one," Zvonareva said. "I don't expect myself to play my best tennis in the first match of the tournament."
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The pair were on serve in the first set when Zvonareva had the only service break of the set in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead. Craybas, ranked No. 125, wasted two break points in the next game before dropping the set with a backhand into the net.
Zvonareva broke Craybas' serve in the 11th game of the second set to take a 6-5 lead before serving out for the win.
"That was very good that I was able to convert those break points and I was able to play some good tennis when I needed it," Zvonareva said. "I fought very hard and played some good points when I needed them."
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No. 2 seed Andrea Petkovic of Germany also had her first action of the tournament and defeated Alexa Glatch of the United States 6-3, 6-4.
Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was extended before winning her opening match with a 6-0, 7-6 (4) win over Great Britain's Elena Baltacha.
Radwanska, who received a bye into the second round, saved two set points at 5-4 in the second set before Baltacha saved one match point to force the tiebreaker.
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Three seeded players lost as qualifier Marina Erakovic of New Zealand upset No. 14 seed Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1, 6-2, Alberta Brianti of Italy was a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 winner over 10th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy, and No. 13 seed Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia lost to Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-2.
No. 11 seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Canada's Rebecca Marino; 12th-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany beat Italian Greta Arn 6-0, 6-2; and No. 15 seed Sara Errani of Italy defeated Sania Mirza of India 6-2, 6-3.
Radwanska, runner-up in the finals here last year to Svetlana Kuznetsova, was in quite a struggle after an easy first set.
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"I was serving very aggressively really playing my game," Radwanska said. "She was serving much better in the second set and it was hard to break her."
Kirilenko did not face a break point on her serve as she hit 75 percent of her first serves. She also took advantage of a back injury Marino suffered in the first set.
Kirilenko, who lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the quarterfinals last week at Stanford, was rarely pushed by her Canadian opponent.
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"I think I played great today," Kirilenko said. "I did everything that we planned. I was happy with that. I tried to mix my game because she is tall."
Both players sought injury treatment at the end of the first set. The Russian saw a trainer or a pain in her left leg, Marino for a lower back injury.
"I did a couple of drop shots and I could see that she was running a little bit (slower)," Kirilenko said.
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Lisicki, who lost to Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semifinals, was pleased with her overall game.
"I didn't have too much time to adapt because I just came here two days ago," she said. "A little bit different conditions (than last week at Stanford), so I was happy with the way I played."