Ill Bartoli retires from Guangzhou opener
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Top seed Marion Bartoli retired from her first-round match at the $220,000 Guangzhou International tennis event due to a gastrointestinal illness.
The French former Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli was trailing Taiwan's Kai-Chen Chang 4-3 when she decided to stop on the hardcourts at Tianhe Sports Centre.
Three other top-four seeds advanced, as No. 2 Chinese Zheng Jie defeated Taiwanese Yung-Jan Chan 5-3, retired, No. 3 Romanian Sorana Cirstea handled Chinese qualifier Hu Yue-Yue 6-2, 7-5, and No. 4 Pole Urszula Radwanska topped Hungarian Melinda Czink 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 on Day 2.
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In other opening-round action involving seeds, France's Mathilde Johansson upended No. 6 Romanian Monica Niculescu 7-5, 6-2, No. 7 Chinese Peng Shuai dismissed Japanese Ayumi Morita 7-6 (7-3), 6-0, and No. 8 Frenchwoman Alize Cornet drove out Russian Alexandra Panova 6-3, 1-1, as Panova quit due to a heat-related illness. Peng titled here back in 2008.
Additional wins came for Belarusian Olga Govortsova, Chinese wild cards Duan Ying-Ying and Zheng Saisai, Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh, and Thai qualifier Nudnida Luangnam, who bested 2010 Guangzhou champ Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2.
On Wednesday, Zheng will face rising British left-hander Laura Robson, while fifth-seeded and defending champion Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa will meet Serb Bojana Jovanovski. Scheepers captured her maiden WTA title last year, beating Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova in the final.
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The 2012 Guangzhou winner will claim a first prize of $37,000.