Townsend wins in WTA debut

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif., March 7 (UPI) -- American teen Taylor Townsend won in her debut on the WTA Tour Thursday, advancing to the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Daniele Hantuchova also set up a meeting with the world's second-ranked player and 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm survived as well.

Townsend, 16, was given a wild card berth in this high-profile tournament and she took advantage of it to defeat Lucie Hradecka 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Townsend finished 2012 as the No. 1 ranked female junior player in the world.

Her next opponent will be No. 11 seed Ana Ivanovic, who like all seeded players was awarded a bye into the second round.

Hantuchova moved on by outlasting Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. That created a second-round matchup with Victoria Azarenka, who has yet to lose in 14 matches this year.

Azarenka is ranked second in the world behind Serena Williams, but is seeded No. 1 in this tournament due to the absence of Williams from the event.

Date-Krumm was a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 winner over Galina Voskoboeva and will now play Elena Vesnina, the 29th seed.

Others who made it through the first round Thursday included Monica Niculescu, Jamie Hampton, Urszula Radwanska, Sofia Arvidsson, Alize Cornet, Kiki Bertens and Miriana Lucic-Baroni.