Zakopalova among winners in Paris

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PARIS, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- No. 8-seeded Klara Zakopalova rallied for a first-round victory Monday at the 21e Open GDF Suez tennis tournament in Paris.

Zakopalova won the final nine games of a 2-6, 7-5, 6-0 battle against Anabel Medina Garrigues. Medina Garrigues appeared to be in control after winning the first set and moving ahead 5-4 in the second. But Zakopalova held twice around her second break of the day to even the match and dominated the final set to advance.

Mona Barthel also broke open a tight match en route to a 7-6 (7-1), 6-0 win over Urszula Radwanska. Each player had three breaks in the first set but Barthel pulled away in the tiebreaker and then posted three more breaks in the second set for the victory.

Christina McHale ran to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Pauline Parmentier in the day's final match. McHale was good on just 50 percent of her first serves but still won nearly 80 percent of the points on serve. She lost only two points serving in the first set and seven in the second.