Sharapova Wins, Players Win Two-a-Days at WTA Birmingham

Posted on June 15, 2006

A solid 22 matches were played Wednesday at the WTA stop in Birmingham to make up for rain-outs earlier in the week, with multiple players forced to double-up on the day to advance into the third round.

Earning their pay with two wins on the day were Russian Vera Zvonareva (d. (LL) Kremer, Sucha), American Lisa Raymond (d. Morigami, (15) Stosur 7-6 in the third), and Bulgarian teen Tsvetana Pironkova (d. Sfar, Zi).

Seeded players into the third round Wednesday were (1) Maria Sharapova (d. (Q) Rolle), (2) Francesca Schiavone (d. Vento-Kabchi in three), (4) Elena Likhovtseva (d. (Q) Poutchkova), (5) Ai Sugiyama (d. Gajdosova), (6) Marion Bartoli (d. (LL) Mattek in three), (7) Anna Chakvetadze (d. (Q) Gagliardi), (8) Jelena Jankovic (d. Shuai), (12) Mara Santangelo (d. Vesnina), (13) Li Na (d. Daniilidou), and (14) Sania Mirza (d. Perry in three).

"It feels good to be back," Sharapova said after beating the American qualifier Rolle. "It was a good first match to have and physically I feel good now. Her serve is pretty big, so I had to take my chances when I could. It's great to be back in Birmingham. Every time I come back everyone is so welcoming and I love that."

Other unseeded winners advancing were Americans Jamea Jackson (d. (WC) Borwell) and qualifier Meilen Tu (d. (LL) countrywoman Osterloh), and Japan's Ayumi Morita (d. (9) Arvidsson).

Winning opening-round matches before being eliminated in second-round play were Stosur (d. (Q) Rodionova in three), Daniilidou (d. (WC) Keothavong, bagel in the second), and Vento-Kabchi (d. Ant.Serra Zanetti).

Scheduled for Thursday are Santangelo vs. Sugiyama, Jackson vs. Jankovic, Sharapova vs. N.Li, Likhovtseva vs. Raymond, Bartoli vs. Morita, Pironkova vs. Schiavone, Mirza vs. Tu, and Chakvetadze vs. Zvonareva.