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Mason, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Former champion Maria Sharapova and second- seeded Simona Halep were second-round winners, while defending titlist Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the draw Tuesday at the $2.5 million Western & Southern Open.
The fifth-seeded Sharapova got past game American Madison Keys 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on the hardcourts at Lindner Family Tennis Center. The reigning French Open champ Sharapova was the Cincinnati titlist in 2011 and runner-up in 2010.
In Tuesday’s nightcap, the Romanian and French Open runner-up Halep needed just 87 minutes to dispatch Belgian challenger Kirsten Flipkens, 6-4, 6-2. That came shortly after 12th-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki sent China’s Shuai Zhang packing by a 6-2, 6-3 count.
The 10th-seeded Azarenka was scheduled to meet Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, but withdrew from the match with a right knee injury. Zahlavova Strycova went on to top German lucky loser Mona Barthel 7-5, 6-0 at this U.S. Open Series event.
The former world No. 1 and two-time U.S. Open runner-up Azarenka missed three months of action already this year due to a left foot injury. She upset Serena Williams in last year’s Western & Southern finale.
Meanwhile, Venus Williams, fresh off her runner-up finish in Montreal, lost to 16th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4, 14th-seeded Italian Sara Errani snuck past Belgian qualifier Yanina Wickmayer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), and 15th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro moved on by holding off Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in round one.
American wild card Christina McHale overcame compatriot qualifier Nicole Gibbs 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round on Day 2.
Former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova outlasted Italian Camila Giorgi 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 and last year’s Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki edged out Italy’s Roberta Vinci 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in the round of 56.
Also advancing to the second round were Kazakhstani qualifier Zarina Diyas, German qualifier Annika Beck, American Sloane Stephens, Russian Ekaterina Makarova and Japanese Kurumi Nara, who will face last week’s Montreal champ Agnieszka Radwanska on Wednesday.
