Zvonareva takes Dubai first-rounder

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Russian Vera Zvonareva, one day after winning a tournament in Thailand, posted a first-round win Monday at the $2 million Dubai Tennis Championships.

Zvonareva had a short turnaround, defeating Tamarine Tanasugarn in the final of the Pattaya Open Sunday and playing Monday in the United Arab Emirates. But the tournament's No. 12-seed responded with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win over Elena Vesnina over nearly 2 1/2 hours.

No. 7-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Anastasija Sevastova in a second-round match on a Monday schedule that also saw 13 first-round bouts.

In other matches involving seeded players, No. 10 Italian Flavia Pennetta blitzed Melinda Czink 6-4, 6-1; but ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur fell to Italian Tathiana Garbin 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4); No. 13-seeded Yanina Wickmayer dropped a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 decision to Israeli Shahar Peer; and 15th-seeded Nadia Petrova lost a tough 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) match to Swiss Stefanie Voegele.

Other winners Monday were Dominika Cibulkova, Virginie Razzano, Alexandra Dulgheru, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Olga Govortsova, Aravane Rezai, Andrea Petkovic and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

The top eight Dubai seeds, including No. 1 Carolina Wozniacki, were given first-round byes. The first-place finish at the Dubai Tennis Championships is worth $350,000.