Safarova wins Tokyo opener

Published February 05, 2015

Tokyo, Japan (SportsNetwork.com) - Seventh-seeded Lucie Safarova was a hard- fought first-round winner Monday at the $1 million Pan Pacific Open women's tennis event.

The Czech Safarova snuck past promising American Madison Keys 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 on the hardcourts at Ariake Coliseum.

Also on Day 1, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza topped Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), Ukrainian Elina Svitolina handled Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-1, and Swiss teenager and wild card Belinda Bencic drubbed fading Russian, two-time Grand Slam champion and 2008 Tokyo runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-0.

This week's top seeds are Angelique Kerber and former world No. 1s Caroline Wozniacki, 2007 runner-up Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic. Kerber will open up against Svitolina, while the 2009 Tokyo runner-up Jankovic will meet Muguruza in the round of 16. Wozniacki was the Pan Pacific champ in 2010 and U.S. Open runner-up this month.

The German Kerber was last year's Tokyo runner-up to Czech star and fellow left-hander Petra Kvitova.

The 2014 Pan Pacific champion will claim $196,670.

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