Schiavone wins Istanbul opener

Tennis Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took two days, but French Open champion Francesca Schiavone finally posted a first-round victory at the $220,000 Istanbul Cup hardcourt tennis event.

The top-seeded Schiavone was leading Britain's Anne Keothavong 4-0 in the first set here on Monday when their match was suspended because of rain and darkness. Schiavone wound up with an easy 6-2, 6-2 decision and will meet another Brit, Elena Baltacha, in the round of 16.

Schiavone became the first-ever Italian woman to both reach and win a Grand Slam final at last month's French Open.

This week's second seed was not as fortunate as Schiavone on Tuesday, as Czech Petra Kvitova succumbed to Latvian Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.

Meanwhile, third-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova drubbed Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska 6-1, 6-0 and fifth-seeded Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova handled German Tatjana Malek 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. Pironkova was a surprise Wimbledon semifinalist earlier this month.

Other upsets came when Russian Anna Lapushchenkova overcame seventh-seeded Czech Klara Zakopalova 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 and Swede Johanna Larsson leveled eighth- seeded Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2. The 21-year-old Larsson is fresh off her first-ever appearance in a WTA Tour final, last week in Portoroz.

Additional Day-2 wins came for Baltacha, Romanian Sorana Cirstea, Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova, Russians Ekaterina Makarova, a qualifier this week, and Elena Vesnina, and Aussies Jarmila Groth and Anastasia Rodionova.

On Wednesday, reigning Istanbul champ Vera Dushevina will face the aforementioned Sevastova in the second round. The Russian Dushevina doused Czech Lucie Hradecka in last year's finale here.

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