Mon May 5 15:44:08 2008

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Szavay, Petrova win Berlin openers

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Berlin, Germany (Sports Network) - Several seeds, including Hungarian Agnes Szavay and Russian Nadia Petrova, won first-round matches Monday at the $1.34 million German Open, a clay-court French Open tune-up.

The 10th-seeded Szavay was leading Milagros Sequera 6-2, 3-0 when the Venezuelan retired due to a right neck injury, while a 16th-seeded Petrova outlasted Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) on the red clay at LTTC Rot-Weiss. Petrova captured this event in 2006 and was the runner-up here in 2005.

Three other seeds moved on, as No. 11 Pole Agnieszka Radwanska topped German Angelique Kerber 6-0, 5-3; No. 13 Russian Dinara Safina subdued German wild card Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4; and No. 15 Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko snuck past Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (11-9). Kerber quit against Radwanska due to a right wrist injury.

An opening-round upset came when German wild card Sabine Lisicki knocked out 14th-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-1.

Italian Francesca Schiavone got past France's Alize Cornet 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, while Czech Lucie Safarova stopped France's Virginie Razzano 6-4, 7-5, and Austrian Sybille Bammer blitzed Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek 6-1, 6-1. Schiavone is rewarded with a second-round match against red-hot American Serena Williams, this week's fifth seed.

Additional first-round wins came for qualifier Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei, Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi, German qualifier Angelika Bachmann, Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki and Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko.

Maria Kirilenko was tied with fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 2-6, 7-5 when play was suspended for the day due to darkness.

This week's top seed is world No. 1 Belgian Justine Henin, who will open her stay against the aforementioned Chan in the second round. The reigning French and U.S. Open champion Henin was the Berlin winner in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and the runner-up in 2006.

Serbian Ana Ivanovic, seeded second this week, beat Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, this week's third seed, in last year's Berlin finale. Ivanovic was last year's French Open and this year's Aussie Open runner-up, while Kuznetsova was last year's runner-up at the U.S. Open.

The 2008 German Open titlist will pocket $196,900.