CARSON, Calif. (AP) -- Melinda Czink, who got into the East West Bank Classic as a “lucky loser,” upset No. 13 Virginie Razzano of France, 6-3, 6-3 Monday in a first-round match.
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| Samantha Stosur in action against Shahar Peer |
In the nightcap, Samantha Stosur overwhelmed No. 12 seed Shahar Peer, 6-1, 6-1.
Czink, ranked 121st on the WTA Tour, had lost in the second round of qualifying on Sunday. But the 25-year-old Hungarian was placed in the 56-player singles field when Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia withdrew because of an injured right knee.
Kuznetsova was the 11th player to withdraw from the $650,000 hardcourt tournament, extending a list that includes Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport, who both have injured right knees.
The Australian Stosur served eight aces and converted five of seven break point opportunities in her win over the 25th-ranked Peer of Israel. Stosur, a quarterfinalist last week at Stanford, has a 3-2 career edge over Peer and has won their past three meetings, the most recent in the opening round of the French Open.
“It’s probably the best match I’ve played in the last couple of weeks,” Stosur said. “I got off to a good start and kept rolling from there. I never really felt under too much pressure during the games. It’s the way you want to feel all the time.”
Sania Mirza, of India, the No. 16 seed, closed out the opening day with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Eva Hrdinova, of the Czech Republic.
Czink will face 123rd-ranked Olga Savchuk of the Ukraine in the second round. Savchuk upset 36th-ranked Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-4, 6-3. Sybille Bammer of Austria, the 14th seed, beat American qualifier Ahsha Rolle, 6-0, 6-4.
Jelena Jankovic is the top seed, but she is playing for the first time since injuring her right knee at Wimbledon and isn’t sure how it will hold up. Second-seeded Serena Williams, who withdrew from a semifinal at Stanford on Saturday because of a knee problem, said she is “taking it day by day.”