AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Former top-10 player Flavia Pennetta opened her 2012 season with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Sorana Cirstea on Monday to ease into the second round of the ASB Classic women’s tennis tournament.
Italy’s Pennetta, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, took 94 minutes to oust the unseeded Cirstea.
In other first-round matches, Sara Errani of Italy beat Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-1, 6-1, Christina McHale of the United States beat Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania 6-2, 6-3, Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic beat Italy’s Alberta Brianti 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 and Britain’s Elena Baltacha beat Sacha Jones of New Zealand 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
