TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Nastassja Burnett posted a first-round upset, ousting second-seeded Lesia Tsurenko in Monday's play at the Tashkent Open in Uzbekistan.
On a day in which seeded players went 5-1, Burnett defeated Tsurenko in a tight 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 match. Burnett, who lost 55 percent of the points on her serve, took 59 percent of the points off Tsurenko's serve and finished with seven breaks in 11 receiving games.
Top-seeded Bojana Jovanovski and defending champion Irina-Camelia Begu, the No. 6 seed, each had straight-set, first-round wins.
Jovanovski topped Kurumi Nara 6-4, 6-2 behind five breaks and Begu came out a 7-6 (10-8), 6-1 winner over Alexandra Panova when she lost only 10 points in the second set.
No. 3-seeded Yvonne Meusburger took out Timea Babos 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, taking 62 percent of the points of the second and third sets. Fourth-seeded Donna Vekic beat Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-3, 6-2 and No. 5-seeded Alexandra Cadantu won 70 percent of the points in a 6-2, 6-0 rout of Sabina Sharipova.
Nadiya Kichenok, Lyudmyla's twin sister, defeated Eva Birnerova 7-5, 6-2; Olga Govortsova outlasted Michaella Krajicek 7-5, 2-6, 6-1; Mandy Minella stopped Olga Puchkova 6-2, 6-3; and Risa Ozaki beat Kateryna Kozlova 7-5, 6-2 in a battle of qualifiers.
