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Sanchez-Vicario wins opening match

TOKYO, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- The top four seeded players received byes at the Princess Cup Monday, but No. 8 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain easily won her first round match in straight sets at this Tier II tournament.

Sanchez-Vicario rolled to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Maja Matevzic of Slovenia and awaits Tuesday's winner of the match between Conchita Martinez and Elena Likhovtseva. Sanchez-Vicario won this event in 1994.

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Unseeded American Amy Frazier also was in action Monday and rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland. Frazier meets No. 4 Anna Smashnova of Israel, who beat Anna Kournikova at Shanghai, China Sunday for her sixth career title.

Also, Patricia Wartusch of Austria beat local wild card entry Saori Obata, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Wartusch next plays top-seeded Serena Williams, who won here in 2000.

This is Williams' first tournament since winning the U.S. Open on Sept. 7. She also won the Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon and will compete for her seventh title of the year which will equal that of her sister Venus Williams.

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Serena Williams will partner with veteran Martina Navratilova in the doubles event. It will mark the first time Serena played doubles on the tour without Venus, with whom she has won nine titles including Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal.

No. 2 Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia, the defending champion, and No. 3 Kim Clijsters of Belgium jump right into the second round with byes.

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