Lisicki wins first-round match in Tashkent

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Sabine Lisicki dropped just one game Monday in cruising to a first-round win at the $145,000 Tashkent Open tennis tournament in Uzbekistan.

Lisicki, seeded fourth, wiped out Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva 6-0, 6-1. Lisicki, who turned 19 last Monday, is seen as a rising star, having beaten established players Dinara Safina, Lindsay Davenport and Anna Chakvetadze this year.

Fifth-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova also advanced Monday, handling Kathrin Woerle 6-4, 6-4 on the first day of the hard-court tournament. Also, Sofia Shapatava stopped Kinnie Laisne 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Top-seeded Shuai Peng is among played scheduled for play Tuesday. Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova is also in the field.

The winner's check for the 2008 Tashkent Open is $22,925.