Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Former French Open runner-up Sara Errani was shown the door Monday at the $2.44 million Rogers Cup tennis event.
Big-serving German and 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki upset the 13th- seeded Italian Errani 6-1, 7-5 on the hardcourts at Uniprix Stadium.
Fifteenth-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova avoided an upset by subduing last year's Rogers Cup runner-up Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-4, 6-2.
Three-time champion Serena Williams whipped Cirstea in last year's final in Toronto, as this event shifts between Montreal and Toronto each year.
Meanwhile, American qualifier Shelby Rogers took care of Croatian wild card Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) and France's Alize Cornet dismissed American qualifier Lauren Davis 6-3, 7-5.
Also on Day 1, Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova topped Italian Roberta Vinci 7-5, 7-5, Czech Klara Koukalova beat Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), and Brit Heather Watson outlasted Czech fellow qualifier Tereza Smitkova 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
This week's top seeds are the U.S. Open champion Williams, Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska, French Open champ Maria Sharapova and Canadian favorite and Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard. Kvitova was the Rogers Cup champ here in Montreal in 2012. The world No. 8 Montreal native Bouchard will meet the aforementioned Rogers in the second round.
The 2014 Rogers Cup champ will collect $467,300.
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