Venus Williams wins second-round match

CHARLESTON, S.C., April 15 (UPI) -- Former winner Venus Williams and No. 5 seed Caroline Wozniacki were among those claiming second-round wins Wednesday at the Family Circle Cup in South Carolina.

Williams, seeded second, recorded seven service breaks, but still lost a set and had a battle on her hands before defeating Sania Mirza 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. Williams, who won this event five years ago, will take on Sabine Lisicki in the third round Thursday.

Wozniacki was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Alla Kudryavtseva and kept alive her hopes of a second straight tour title. She won the event in Pote Vedra Beach last week.

The day's biggest surprise came when Elena Vesnina defeated No. 8 seed Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5. Qualifier Melanie Oudin also pulled off an unexpected victory when she eliminated ninth-seeded Aleksandra Wozniak 7-5, 6-0.

Other winners Wednesday included Viktoriya Kutuzova, Anastasia Rodionova, Peng Shuai, Virginie Razzano and Melinda Czink.