No seeds in action on Day 1 in Indian Wells; five Top 50 players have first round success

Thirteen unseeded players, two wildcards and a qualifier advanced to the second round, as there were no seeded players in action on Monday, the first day of the BNP Paribas Open.

But there were five Top 50 players, which were Shahar Peer, Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Virginie Razzano and Tsvetana Pironkova, who are all ranked between No. 40 and No. 15 in the world.

Peer easily cruised past Kateryna Bondarenko, 62 61, Na fought to win against Tamarine Tanasugarn, 64 64, Kvitova ousted Pauline Parmentier, 63 62, Razzano battled to win against qualifier Evgeniya Rodina, 63 64, and Pironkova defeated Marina Erakovic, 64 61.

Pironkova will take on No. 2 in the world and top seed Dinara Safina in the second, which will be an interesting match up.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Singles - First Round

Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. (Q) Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 63 64

Li Na (CHN) d. Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 64 64

Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 63 62

Shahar Peer (ISR) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 62 61

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d. Marina Erakovic (NZL) 64 61

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) d. Nathalie Dechy (FRA) 36 61 63

Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 76(4) 75

Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. Anne Keothavong (GBR) 26 63 61

Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) d. (Q) Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP) 64 61

Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d. Monica Niculescu (ROU) 63 60

Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) d. (WC) Michaella Krajicek (NED) 63 64

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) d. Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 62 63

Jill Craybas (USA) d. (WC) Jelena Dokic (AUS) 64 62

(Q) Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d. Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 64 62

(WC) Urszula Radwanska (POL) d. (Q) Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR) 46 62 64

(WC) Alexa Glatch (USA) d. (Q) Stéphanie Dubois (CAN) 63 62