Venus, Sharapova advance at U.S. Open

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova, both former U.S. Open champs, each advanced with victories on Monday's opening day of the 2011 event.

The unseeded Williams, a two-time U.S. Open champ, bested Russia's Vesna Dolonts, 6-4, 6-3 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Third-seeded Sharapova, who won in New York in 2006, had to scramble to pull out a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 come-from-behind victory over Britain's Heather Watson, needing 2 hours, 34 minutes to earn the win.

The Russian won her sixth straight match despite tallying eight double faults and a whopping 58 unforced errors.

Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru, meanwhile, shocked No. 5 seed and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 upset as Kvitova piled up 52 unforced errors.

Kvitova surprised Sharapova in the Wimbledon title match for her first major championship but has slipped to 2-3 since then.

Also Monday, last year's runner-up and second-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia logged an easy win over France's Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-3, 6-0 at Armstrong Stadium.

Elsewhere, No. 13 Peng Shuai of China advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over American Varvara Lepchenko; 19th-seeded Julia Goerges dispatched fellow German Kristina Barrois 6-3, 6-2; and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic got past Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.