WTA Tour - Hantuchova struggles through

Eurosport - Thu, 26 Mar 16:40:00 2009

Daniela Hantuchova recovered from a set down before battling through to the second round in Miami with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over American Melanie Oudin.

Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia serves against Melanie Oudin of the US during their first round match in Miami - 0

Slovakia's Hantuchova, who has won two of her three WTA titles in Miami, needed two hours and nine minutes before scraping past her wildcard opponent and will next face Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

Britain's Anne Keothavong fell in two tight sets, 6-4 7-5, to Lucie Safarova. The Czech 22-year-old, who has reached the third round in Miami for the past two years, will now face 18th seed Patty Schnyder.

Wildcard Jelena Dokic beat Romanian Edina Gallovits 6-3 7-6 to set up a second-round meeting with 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki, whom she defeated in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January.

Russian Anastasia Pivovarova, also a wildcard entry, handed American world number 37 Bethanie Mattek-Sands a surprise defeat.

Pivovarova, ranked 172nd in the world, secured her first victory of the season with a 7-6 6-3 win and moves on to face compatriot and fourth seed Elena Dementieva in the next round.

World number 39 Maria Kirilenko recorded just her second win of the season, despite dropping a bagel set, by beating Russian Kateryna Bondarenko 6-4 0-6 6-4.

Czech Nicole Vaidisova set up a second round meeting with the older Bondarenko sister, Alona, after seeing off Austrian qualifier Patricia Mayr 6-4 6-2.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 17-year-old who reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells, saved three match points en route to 4-6 7-5 6-3 victory over French qualifier Aravane Rezai.

France's Mathilde Johansson brought the curtain down on stadium court with a 1-6 7-6(2) 7-6(8) victory over wild card Sania Mirza of India. The match featured 19 service breaks and lasted two hours and 22 minutes. Johansson booked a second-round match against Dinara Safina.

Watch WTA Miami on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe. Or watch the action on British Eurosport, available in the UK on Sky channel 410 and Virgin Media channel 521, or British Eurosport 2, available on Sky 411 and Virgin Media 525.

Pippa Davis / AFP

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  1. Why is it that this site always get their facts so­ wrong?!?! In almost every article I read here there is­ always a tid-bid of info that is factually wrong.­ Luckily you guys picked up on Daniela's two titles­ being from Indian Wells and NOT Miami. But then there­ is the piece that says Dokic beat Wozniacki in the­ QUARTERFINALS at the Australian Open. Again this is­ WRONG. Actually Dokic beat Wozniacki in the THIRD ROUND­ and NOT the QUARTERFINALS of the Australian Open.

    From *~*Kennedy*~*, on Sat 28 Mar 2:42PM

  2. Daniela won 2 of her tier I in Indian Wells not­ Miami!!!

    From lapinroyal, on Fri 27 Mar 1:16PM

  3. Why does it always have to be "Keothavong­ fell" rather than "Šafárová won"? Lucie­ is a great player, and she's higher ranked than­ Keothavong, too - so it was Lucie's win more than­ Keothavong's loss. Let me be the first to­ congratulate her!

    From Andrew Broad, on Thu 26 Mar 9:22PM

  4. Come on Dannie hope you make it through to the­ finals.Good luck

    From AJ, on Thu 26 Mar 3:21PM

  5. Research is clearly not an aspect of the eurosport­ school of journalism

    From mohawk393939, on Thu 26 Mar 12:07PM

  6. Daniela Hantuchova did not win 2 of her 3 titles in­ Miami, but in Indian Wells. Check it!

    From PaulA, on Thu 26 Mar 11:55AM
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