Key Biscayne, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - American Varvara Lepchenko cruised to a first-round victory Tuesday while countrywoman Bethanie Mattek-Sands was sent packing on Day 1 at the $5.4 million Sony Open tennis event.
Lepchenko needed just over 90 minutes to dispose of Germany's Yanina Wickmayer by a 7-5, 6-1 margin, while Ukrainian Elina Svitolina outlasted the 29-year- old Mattek-Sands in 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 fashion on the hardcourts at Crandon Park.
Puerto Rico's Monica Puig picked up a 6-1, 7-6 (9-7) triumph over Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova and Russia's Chanelle Scheepers sailed past Spain's Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3, 6-0.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova handled Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva 6-2, 7-5, promising Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia topped Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 7-5, and Kazakhstanian Yaroslava Shvedova dismissed fading former French Open titlist Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-2. Shvedova should have her hands full with reigning Miami champ Serena Williams in the round of 64.
Also advancing Tuesday were Aussie Casey Dellacqua, Slovak Anna Schmiedlova, Swiss Romina Oprandi and Japan's Kurumi Nara, who is rewarded with a second- round match against last year's Miami runner-up, Maria Sharapova. Oprandi's next opponent will be 2012 Miami champ and last week's Indian Wells runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska.
Russia's Alisa Kleybanova advanced with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 win over Czech Iveta Melzer and has the unenviable task of taking on Australian Open champ Li Na in the next round.
Along with Li, other top seeds at this two-week tournament are the six-time champion and two-time runner-up Williams, Radwanska, and the five-time Miami runner-up Sharapova, who lost to Williams in last year's marquee finale and has lost in the last three Miami finals.
The 2014 winner of this lucrative event will collect $787,000.
