Safina loses Rome second-round match

ROME, May 4 (UPI) -- Serena and Venus Williams were straight-set winners Tuesday but Dinara Safina was ousted in second-round play of the $2 million Italian Open in Rome.

Serena Williams, the world No. 1, disposed of Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 while sister Venus, the No. 4 seed in Rome, topped Patty Schnyder in an efficient 6-2, 6-2.

Also No. 2-seeded Caroline Wozniacki rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Maria Elena Camerin.

But the third-seeded Safina's problems continued. Her play has been curtailed by back issues and the 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 loss Tuesday to Alexandra Dulgheru was her third in her last four matches. Safina, the event's defending champion, had nine double faults and dropped serve nine times in 14 service games.

Other seeded players ousted Tuesday were No. 9-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who lost 6-4, 6-4 to Ana Ivanovic; 12th-seeded Flavia Pennetta, who was drubbed 6-1, 6-2 by Lucie Safarova; and No. 13-seeded Francesca Schiavone, who was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Playing more to form, sixth-seed Elena Dementieva stopped Yaroslava Shvedova 6-4, 7-5; No. 7-seeded Jelena Jankovic got part Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; and eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska breezed by Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-0.

Other seeded second-round winners were 11th-seeded Yanina Wickmayer, 14th-seeded Nadia Petrova and No. 16-seeded Shahar Peer 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. Unseeded players moving into the third round with wins Tuesday included Andrea Petkovic and Dominika Cibulkova.