28 July,2009 10:14 AM IST | | AFP
Russia's Elena Dementieva breezed past Anne Keothavong 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round of the $7,00,000 dollar WTA Bank of the West Classic yesterday.
Third seeded Dementieva advances to the second round where she will face the winner of an all-Russian match between Maria Kirilenko and Anna Chakvetadze.
Dementieva cruised through the first set then raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second before finishing off Britains' Keothavong, who was trying to reach her first WTA Tour final.
Dementieva is making her first appearance in the Stanford event.
In other first-round matches, seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, of Poland, spanked Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-1 and Monica Niculescu, of Romania, hammered American Meghann Shaughnessy 6-1, 6-0.
The tournament features five of the world's top 10 players, including Venus Williams, Serena Williams.
Maria Sharapova was scheduled to take the court in the night session to face pesky Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama.
Top seeded Serena Williams also has a tough opening round opponent, facing Chinese star Li Na early today.
