Austrian Bammer upset at Italian Open

ROME, May 13 (UPI) -- Austrian left-hander Sybille Bammer was upset Tuesday by Belarusian Victoria Azarenka at the $1.34 million Italian Open.

Bammer lost to Azarenka, a wild card this week, 6-1, 6-3.

In other first-round action, Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova beat Argentine Gisela Dulko 7-6 (7-1), 6-4; Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova beat Czech qualifier Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-2; and Italian wild card Roberta Vinci defeated Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

Pironkova next meets top-seeded Australian and French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic and Cibulkova will take on Australian Open champ and this week's second seed, Maria Sharapova.

Three second-round matches and six first-rounders were either postponed or suspended Tuesday because of rain. Fifth-seeded American Serena Williams was to meet Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko and seventh-seeded Venus Williams was slated to face Aussie Samantha Stosur in the second round, but both bouts were pushed back to Wednesday.

Venus, the Wimbledon champion, returns to action this week after taking a medical leave of absence over the last month.

.