Lisicki, Hantuchova fall in Doha

Doha, Qatar – Rising German Sabine Lisicki and last week's round upset victims Tuesday at the $2.168 million Qatar Open.

Angelique Kerber stayed red hot by coming from behind to erase her ninth- seeded fellow German Lisicki 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, while promising Romanian Simona Halep upended a 15th-seeded Hantuchova 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) on the hardcourts at Khalifa International Tennis Complex. Kerber captured her first-ever WTA title in Paris last week.

German Julia Goerges, seeded 16th this week, avoided an upset by blasting Belarusian Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 6-2.

Belgian Yanina Wickmayer mauled Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-1, while Russian Maria Kirilenko held off Chinese Zheng Jie 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Kirilenko was last week's Pattaya Open runner-up to Hantuchova.

Additional Day-2 wins came for Czechs Iveta Benesova, Lucie Safarova and Petra Cetkovska, Romanian Sorana Cirstea, and Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues.

The top-eight seeds here -- world No. 1 and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, U.S. Open champ Samantha Stosur, Agnieszka Radwanska, former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, defending Doha titlist Vera Zvonareva, French Open runner-up Francesca Schiavone and former top-ranked star Jelena Jankovic -- all received byes into the second round. Zvonareva, also the Doha runner-up in 2008, beat Wozniacki for last year's title here.

The 2012 Doha champion will earn a first prize of $385,000.