Dinaria Safina, the 2009 runner-up in Cincinnati, was one of 14 players to record wins on Monday in the opening round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open.
Safina, who spent 26 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world over the past few seasons, defeated Italy’s Roberta Vinci 7-5 6-4 on Monday afternoon.
The win for Safina sets up a second round clash with 2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters. The two played in Cincinnati last year, with Safina winning that quarterfinal clash.
An early-round upset took place Monday night as 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic came from behind to knock off No. 9 seed and Olympus US Open Series co-leader Victoria Azarenka 2-6 7-6(6) 6-2
Two seeds were victorious on Monday. Shahar Peer, the No. 13 seed, held a 6-3 4-1 lead when 2007 Cincinnati quarterfinalist Olga Govortsova retired due to heat illness.
Marion Bartoli, the No. 16 seed who was the finalist at Wimbledon in 2007, also picked up a win on Monday, defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4 6-0.
For a full look at Monday’s scores, visit the results page.
www.cincytennis.com/ResultsAndSchedule/Results/