Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic (Bali)

Pennetta, Petrova Prevail in Bali Openers

Third seed Flavia Pennetta and fourth seed Nadia Petrova both won their first round matches at the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic on Tuesday, as did Pennetta's fellow Italian, No.7 seed Sara Errani. No.8 seed Aleksandra Wozniak's stay in paradise was cut short, however, by American veteran Jill Craybas, in three sets.

Just a week after she played her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows, Pennetta needed nearly two hours to quash the challenge of Vania King, saving nine of the break points she faced in the first set but also failing on enough of her own chances to keep the contest close. Forced to a tiebreak, the 26-year-old raced to a 5-1 lead and held two set points at 6-4, only to see her American rival string together three points to establish a set point of her own. But King was unable to convert, and once the Italian had edged the opener, she swept through the second set with relative ease.
"It was tough at the beginning getting used to the humidity and different rhythm from New York, that's why the first set was closer," Pennetta said after her 76(7) 61 win. "Once I settled down and played my game, her level dropped and it was much easier after that. I had a great time in New York and I've had a great season but I heard so many nice things about Bali I had to come. I would really like to do well this week."
A third round victim of Pennetta at the US Open, Petrova today breezed past Aiko Nakamura of Japan in 65 minutes. Although she insisted it had been a dangerous match-up, the 63 61 scoreline reflected what had been an increasingly imperious performance by the Russian.
"I was very solid and did the right tactics," said Petrova, who won the Tier III event at Cincinnati last month and also reached the final at Eastbourne in June. "I have been working really hard since April with my new coach and have improved a lot physically. That's helping me move better on the court and I'm very happy with the way things are going."
Next up for Petrova is Tathiana Garbin of Italy, who had too much experience in the crunch for Hungary's Melinda Czink, winning 62 76(3). But the Italian veteran soon found herself on the receiving end of a warning from Petrova: "I'll be looking for some revenge after she ruined my New Year's Eve on the Gold Coast with a three and a half hour match," the Russian joked. "I hope it's quicker this time because in the humidity I think we will both be dead!"
While Garbin's doubles partner Errani was little troubled by South African qualifier Natalie Grandin, racing to a 62 61 result, the form guide was upset by the three set loss of Wozniak, who is currently trading around a career-high ranking after winning her first tournament at Stanford. Although she won the first set, the Canadian was gradually worn down by Bali regular Jill Craybas, 36 63 62.
In matches between unseeded players, Taiwanese player Chan Yung-Jan defeated Vasilisa Bardina of Russia, 62 61, while Ukrainian qualifier Olga Savchuk beat Alla Kudryavtseva, 75 62. Anastasia Rodionova advanced, but at the expense of her Ukrainian doubles partner, Julia Vakulenko, who retired with a right wrist injury when the Russian was ahead, 62 30. The pair subsequently handed a first round doubles walkover to Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder. In the only doubles match that took to the courts, No.4 seeds Akgul Amanmuradova and Yaroslava Shvedova beat the wildcard pairing of Melinda Czink and Tamira Paszek, 64 62.
No.1 seed Daniela Hantuchova and No.2 seed Patty Schnyder make their first appearances at the Tier III event on Wednesday, with Hantuchova facing Savchuk in the second round, and Schnyder playing Yuan Meng.