Mason, OH – Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova round winners at the $2.05 million Western & Southern Open, a U.S. Open Series event.
The 14th-seeded former top-five star Kuznetsova handled 37-year-old American qualifier Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-4 on the hardcourts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Meanwhile, Israeli Shahar Peer doused Wimbledon semifinalist Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) and Italian Sara Errani erased American wild card Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5.
Additional Day-1 wins came for South African qualifier Chanelle Scheepers, Czechs Lucie Safarova and qualifier Petra Cetkovska, Aussie qualifier Anastasia Rodionova and Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko.
This week's top seeds are world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 2010 U.S. Open runner-up Vera Zvonareva, Victoria Azarenka, Wimbledon runner-up Maria Sharapova, French Open champion and Australian Open runner-up Li Na and Wimbledon titlist Petra Kvitova, who will face Scheepers in the second round. Azarenka will take on Peer in her first outing of the week, while Sharapova will encounter Rodionova and Li will battle Safarova in the round of 32.
Sharapova was last year's Cincy runner-up to Kim Clijsters, who will not defend her title this week due to injury.
Last week's Toronto titlist, Serena Williams, is unseeded this week, but considered among the favorites here, having won her last two tournaments, and 11 matches.
The 2001 Cincinnati champion will collect $496,000.
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