THE CANADIAN PRESS
QUEBEC — Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., beat Ashley Harkleroad in straight sets Monday in first-round action at the Bell Challenge.
Wozniak, the country’s top-ranked women’s player, cruised past her American opponent 6-4, 6-2 to advance.
Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia and third-seeded Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine also won their opening matches in straight sets. Zvonareva defeated Catalina Castano of Colombia 6-2, 6-4 while Vakulenko beat Paraguay’s Rossana de los Rios 6-2, 6-0.
Top-seeded Nicole Vaidisova will open against fellow Czech Renata Voracova.
Montreal’s Stephanie Roy, Laurie Gingras of Beauport, Que., Marie-Pier Huet of L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que., and Toronto natives Heidi El Tabakh, Maureen Drake and Sharon Fichman all lost their first-round qualifying matches.
Ekaterina Shulaeva of Oakville, Ont., Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa and Valerie Tetrault of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., dropped second-round qualifying matches and also failed to reach the main draw.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Lindsay Davenport is entered as a wild card. The veteran American is playing her third event in her comeback since the birth of her first child.
Davenport will open against seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany.
Monday’s other first-round singles match saw No. 5 Olga Govortsova of Belarus cruise past Jorgelina Cravero of Argentina 6-4, 6-3.< .
In doubles action, Alina Jidkova and Yaroslava Shvedova of Russia got past Stephanie Foretz of France and Anne Kremer of Luxembourg 6-3, 6-1, while Sunitha Rao of India and Christina Wheeler of Australia downed Maret Ani of Estonia and Andreja Klepac of Slovenia 6-4, 7-6 (3).