Russia's Vera Zvonareva faced a few anxious moments before moving on to the second round of the WTA Bangalore Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu on Tuesday.
"The conditions are tough as I am playing for the first time here. I made a lot of unforced errors. She used different spins and I had to work harder for victory," the seventh-seeded Zvonareva said after the two-hour encounter. "I know I have to cut down on the unforced errors in order to win matches."
Ukraine's Olga Savchuk also faced stiff resistance before advancing to the second round with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Britain's Katie O'Brien.
"I needed this win," said Savchuk, who had lost in the first round of her previous four WTA events.
"I was not too confident when I walked on to the court. I was a bit nervous, but had good memories of my last year's performance here," she said, referring to her semi-final finish last year.
In other first round action, Russia's Anastasia Rodionova was also stretched to three sets before defeating China's Sun Tiantian 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Israel's Tzipora Obziler beat German qualifier Angelika Bachmann 6-2, 6-3, China's Peng Shuai defeated Anne Kremer of Luxembourg 6-1, 6-2 and Croatia's Sanda Mamic downed Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan 6-2, 6-2 to enter the second round.
"It was a good draw as I played against a qualifier. I came here two days ahead of the tournament to get used to the conditions. I hope I can do better in the next match," said Obziler, who will now meet American Serena Williams.
Mamic, returning to the circuit after more than two years away because of injuries, said she did not play great tennis but was happy to post a victory.
"I then thought that everything was against me in the world. The win, coming after a long time, will help me a lot," Mamic said.
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