Mon Sep 22 10:55:20 2008

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Hantuchova rolls; Mauresmo loses in Beijing

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Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Seventh-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova posted a first-round win, while former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo came up a loser Monday at the $600,000 China Open.

Hantuchova handled Argentine Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-1, while an unseeded Mauresmo gave way to rising Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on the hardcourts at Beijing Tennis Center. Cibulkova is now 3-0 against the French Mauresmo this year, including a victory in Tokyo just last week.

A mild Day-1 upset came when Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues took out ninth- seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. Wozniacki became a seed when Russian star Dinara Safina pulled out of the draw due to a back injury. A third-seeded Safina was this year's French Open and Olympic runner-up and last week's titlist in Tokyo.

On Tuesday, opening-round matches will come for the likes of sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and eighth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

This week's top seeds are former world No. 1 Serbs Jelena Jankovic, the U.S. Open runner-up, and Ana Ivanovic, the French Open champion and Australian Open runner-up. Jankovic was last year's China Open runner-up to Hungarian Agnes Szavay.

The 2008 titlist here will collect $95,500.