Stosur wins to start Osaka defense

Published February 05, 2015

Osaka, Japan (SportsNetwork.com) - Samantha Stosur began defense of her Japan Women's Open title with a straight-set victory Tuesday.

The top-seeded Australian topped Japan's Misa Eguchi, 6-4, 7-5, continuing her success on the hardcourts of the Utsubo Tennis Center. Stosur beat Eugenie Bouchard for the title last year and won the inaugural Osaka crown in 2009, while also finishing as the runner-up in 2011.

Next up for Stosur will be fellow Aussie Jarmila Gajdosova, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Japanese lucky loser Miharu Imanishi. Imanishi replaced Kurumi Nara, who withdrew because of a respiratory illness.

Other winners Tuesday included Americans CoCo Vandeweghe and Lauren Davis. The fourth-seeded Vandeweghe thumped French wild card Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 6-3, while the eighth-seeded Davis rebounded from an ugly start to claim a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over Japanese qualifier Hiroko Kuwata.

Vandeweghe will next meet Croatia's Ana Konjuh, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 winner against China's Zheng Jie. Davis' second-round opponent will be Japanese qualifier Shuko Aoyama, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Czech veteran Renata Voracova.

Fifth-seeded Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan also moved on with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 win over qualifier Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan and will next play Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena, who dropped just three games in a rout of Germany's Tatjana Maria.

Japan's Misaki Doi needed three sets to take out Romanian qualifier Ana Bogdan and will play second-seeded American Madison Keys on Wednesday in the second round.

Britain's Heather Watson, this year's sixth seed and the 2012 Osaka champion, is also scheduled for second-round play Wednesday against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva.

The 2014 Osaka champ will collect $43,000.

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