Kournikova cruises into second round

MONTREAL (AP) -- Anna Kournikova easily advanced to the second round of the Rogers AT&T Cup on Monday night, beating Japan's Saori Obata 6-3, 6-1 in humid conditions.

"I definitely felt very good," said Kournikova, the Russian star coming off quarterfinal and semifinal appearances in her last two events in California.

"These courts are really soft, they don't feel like hard courts at all. They're kind of squishy. But I was hitting the ball very well. I was going for my shots. I was pretty confident."

Kournikova, fully recovered from a stress fracture in her left foot, double-faulted three times while losing the opening game but rallied to oust Obata in 45 minutes.

The top eight seeds received first-round byes, with defending champion Serena Williams set to begin play Tuesday against Colombia's Fabiola Zuluaga.

Ninth-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia, No. 10 Silvia Farina Elia of Italy and No. 12 Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic advanced, while No. 11 Anastasia Myskina of Russia, No. 13 Anna Smashnova of Israel and No. 14 Anne Kremer of Luxembourg were eliminated.

Dementieva beat Adriana Serra Zanetti of Italy 6-3, 6-4; Elia defeated Canada's Maureen Drake 6-2, 7-5; and Bedanova edged American Jill Craybas 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Argentina's Clarisa Fernandez eliminated Myskina 6-3, 6-1; American Alexandra Stevenson beat Smashnova 6-2, 7-6 (4); and Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual routed Kremer 6-1, 6-0.

Montreal-born Mary Pierce of France also tumbled out, falling 7-6 (7), 6-7 (4), 7-5 to Slovakia's Henrieta Nagyova.

"The heat didn't bother me at all," said Pierce, the 2000 French Open champion who missed most of last season because of a spinal injury. "I live in Florida, and it's a lot more hot and humid down there. I just didn't play well and she did."

 

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