Radwanska, Kvitova, Venus advance in Cincy

Mason, OH – Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska, last week's Montreal champion Petra Kvitova and American favorite Venus Williams posted second-round victories Wednesday at the WTA's $2.168 million Western & Southern Open.

The Polish world No. 3 Radwanska, who was last month's Wimbledon runner-up to Serena Williams, handled Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-4, 6-3, while a fourth-seeded Kvitova came from behind to best German Mona Barthel 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 on the hardcourts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The 2011 Wimbledon champion Kvitova is only three days removed from securing her first title of 2012.

Up next for Radwanska will be rising American Sloane Stephens, while the Czech slugger Kvitova will take on China's Peng Shuai.

The former world No. 1 Venus, a wild card this week, fought back to beat South African Chanelle Scheepers, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, while seventh-seeded French Open runner-up Sara Errani of Italy took care of veteran Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-4. Venus will battle Errani on Thursday.

Also advancing on Wednesday was ninth-seeded Na Li of China, who outlasted Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Li, Monday's Montreal runner- up to Kvitova, will face Johanna Larsson.

In other action involving seeds, Czech qualifier Andrea Hlavackova defeated No. 11 Slovak Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7-1), 4-1, retired, and No. 17 Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova whipped German Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-0.

Pavlyuchenkova advances to face sixth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki after the Danish star made quick work of qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan with a 6-1, 6-0 straight-set victory.

Stephens pasted Italian and fellow wild card Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-1; Peng bested Italian Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-4; Russian Ekaterina Makarova drilled Georgian lucky-loser Anna Tatishvili 6-1, 6-2; and Urszula Radwanska beat Kazakhstanian and fellow qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova 4-6, 4-1, retired.