Radwanska, Loit reach second round
PARIS -- Agnieszka Radwanska beat Oxana Lyubtsova 6-1, 6-1 on Tuesday in the first round of the Open GDF Suez, and Monica Niculescu, Nathalie Dechy and Emilie Loit also advanced to the second round.
Need the scores from any match played in this or any other tournament? Lyubtsova qualified for her first main draw on the WTA Tour but then won only four points on her serve in the match. The fourth-seeded Radwanska will next face Alisa Kleybanova, a 19-year-old Russian who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open. Kleybanova defeated Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 7-6 (3).
The only other seed in action, No. 5 Alize Cornet, cruised past qualifier Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-3.
Next up for Cornet will be Daniela Hantuchova, whom Cornet beat in the third round of the Australian Open last month. Hantuchova, twice a quarterfinalist in the Open GDF Suez, beat Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-2, 6-2.
Niculescu beat Timea Bacsinszky 6-4, 6-3; Dechy defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 1-6, 6-2; and Loit eliminated Nicole Vaidisova 6-1, 6-4.
Vaidisova, a former top 10 player, is struggling to get back to her best. Tuesday's loss was the 19-year-old Czech's third first-round exit of the year.
Serena Williams will play Iveta Benesova on Wednesday while Jelena Jankovic will face Francesca Schiavone.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
