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Halep stuns Pavlyuchenkova

Halep belied her 53^rd position in the world singles rankings to beat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is 38 places above her conqueror on the ladder, 6-4, 6-2, to earn the right to challenge the Danish world number four. “It’s not easy because I played a good player,” Halep said. “I just tried to do my best and play my game.

“I played better in the important moments. I’ve played once before against her in the juniors and I knew her game, so I just stayed in there and hit the ball.

“My tactic was to hit away from her body and not very flat because she blocks very well. I now have a very difficult match against Wozniacki and I will try to play my best and enjoy the match.

“It was my dream to play against her when she was number one, but it’s late now and she’s number four. She’s still a very good player and I have to enjoy it.”

Like Halep, Serb Ana Ivanovic also achieved something of a surprise by dumping out seventh-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 7-5 in the first evening match of the night.

Meanwhile, the fifth seed here and world number six Agnieszka Radwanska survived a scare to progress from the first round at the expense of Canadian qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-5.

There appeared to be little trouble ahead for the 22-year-old Pole as three service holds and two breaks saw her race into a 5-0 lead in the first set, which she took with another hold in the seventh game.

However, Wozniak – who had won three qualifiers to reach this stage – rallied thereafter in the second and third sets.

She won the former on a tie-break after leading 4-2 and led the latter 5-3, when the magnitude of this prospective scalp perhaps sunk in, thereby allowing Radwanska to reel off four games and scrape home.

“The first match is always the toughest and the tricky one, so I’m just very happy that I could come back in the third set and win this match,” said Radwanska, who now meets Israel’s Shahar Peer in the second round on Court One at 2pm on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Czech Lucie Safarova set up a second-round clash with Samantha Stosur, of Australia, with a three-set win against another qualifier in Croatia’s Petra Martic 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

“There were very tough conditions because of the wind, but I was trying to just stick with my tactics and not get upset about the conditions. It went well,” Safarova commented.

“I’m just trying to continue to play well and looking forward to play Sam (on Wednesday afternoon, second up on Centre).”

Elsewhere, Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova edged out Polona Hercog, of Slovenia, following a third-set tie-break 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4), while qualifier Iveta Benesova was leading Slovak Dominika Cibulkova 3-1 in the first set when the latter had to withdraw with a hamstring injury.

Results

Singles First Round

· Monday night

Jelena Jankovic (8) (Serbia) bt Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-2.

· Tuesday

Agnieszka Radwanska (5) (Poland) bt Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-5; Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Polona Hercog (Q) (Slovenia) 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4); Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Francesca Schiavone (7) (Italy) 6-1, 7-5; Iveta Benesova (Q) (Czech Republic) bt Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 3-1, ... (Cibulkova retired with a hamstrung injury), Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) bt Petra Martic (Q) (Croatia) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, Simona Halep (Q) (Romania) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles First Round

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) & Shahar Peer (Israel) vs Casey Dellacqua (Australia) & Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-7 (4), 6-1, 1-0 (10-5); Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) & Anastasia Rodionova (Australia) (4) bt Natalie Grandin (South Africa) & Vladimira Uhlirova (Czech Republic) 1-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6), Sania Mirza (India) & Elena Vesnina (Russia) (2) bt Fatma Al Nabhani (Oman) & Andreja Klepac (Slovenia) (W) 6-1, 6-3; Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) & Alicja Rosolska (Poland) bt Maria Kirilenko (Russia) & Sabine Lisicki ..., ... (Germany) (Medina Garrigues and Rosolska receive a walkover after Kirilenko and Lisicki withdrew before the match), Liezel Huber (USA) & Lisa Raymond (USA) (1) bt Julia Goerges (Germany) & Jie Zheng (China) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5), Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) & Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) bt Klaudia Jans-Ignacik (Poland) & Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) 6-1, 6-2.