THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOBART, Australia — Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak was a first-round winner Sunday at the Hobart International women’s tennis tournament.
Wozniak, of Blainville, Que., defeated Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1.
Ukrainian sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko also won their first-round matches.
Fourth-seeded Alona beat Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-4, 6-1 while her younger sister, third-seeded Kateryna, took advantage of an injury to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic to win 6-2, 6-7 (4), 3-2, retired.
The sisters won the 2008 Australian Open doubles title together and will play doubles at Hobart.
Also, top-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain beat Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-3 while Peng Shuai of China beat Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-4.
“The first round always is tough,” Medina Garrigues said. “The last time that I played against her (Benesova) I lost it, so I was a little nervous about the match.
“Here (in Hobart) there’s a little wind, so if you are not so confident with your tennis, playing with wind is not easy, but today I felt good.”