Mason, OH (Sports Network) - Venus Williams posted a first-round victory
Tuesday at the WTA's $2.168 million Western & Southern Open.
The former world No. 1 Williams, a wild card this week, upended 12th-seeded
Olympic semifinalist Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 on the
hardcourts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
In some other opening-round action involving Americans, wild card Sloane
Stephens handled Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-1 and Czech Andrea
Hlavackova dismissed fellow qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 7-5.
Additional first-round wins came for Kazakhstanian qualifier Sesil
Karatantcheva, Swede Sofia Arvidsson and Georgian lucky-loser Anna Tatishvili.
The Sports Network