Ekshibarova advances to Tashkent Open second round
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Vlada Ekshibarova of Uzbekistan won her first WTA match Tuesday, upsetting sixth-seeded Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Tashkent Open.
Ekshibarova led 3-0 in the second set before Kudryavtseva won three straight games, but the 18-year-old Uzbek then won the next three.
Third-seeded Olga Govortsova of Belarus also won, defeating Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3. She will next face Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, who beat Yuliana Fedak of Ukraine 6-0, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Elena Vesnina advanced by beating Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-3, 6-4, and seventh-seeded Olga Poutchkova of Russia eliminated 2006 runner-up Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan 7-5, 6-3.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
