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Zvonareva, Szavay win at Italian Open

Vera Zvonareva, shown here in a 2006 tournament, extended her2008 WTA-best match win total to 32 with a victory Monday at the Italian Open.
Vera Zvonareva, shown here in a 2006 tournament, extended her2008 WTA-best match win total to 32 with a victory Monday at the Italian Open. | License Photo

ROME, May 12 (UPI) -- Vera Zvonareva and Agnes Szavay took solid victories Monday in first-round play of the $1.34 million Italian Open tennis tournament.

Zvonareva, who won a tournament in the Czech Republic two weeks ago, extended her personal winning streak to six matches with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ai Sugiyama. She's advanced to at least the quarterfinals in eight of her nine tournaments this year.

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Zvonareva leads the WTA with 32 match wins this year.

Szavay posted an even more lopsided 6-1, 6-1 win in her match with Zi Yan.

Also winning was 17th-seeded Francesca Schiavone, who defeated Lucie Safarova 6-4, 7-5.

Tournament officials said Dinara Safina, the Italian Open runner-up two years ago, had withdrawn from the 2008 event because of a back injury. Safina beat world No. 1 Justin Henin and No. 6-ranked Serena Williams last week en route to the championship of the German Open, which she wrapped up Sunday.

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