The second day of the China Open on Sunday has seen several seeded players leave the tournament in the first round, including Russia’s Maria Kirilenko and Italy’s Sara Errani.
Kirilenko, seeded 13th, was eliminated by fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-3.
As a result Makarova, ranked a career-high 22nd, sets up an encounter with either another Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Polona Herzog of Slovenia in round two.
Sixth seed Errani, a French Open finalist in June, was 5-4 down in the first set of her first-round match against another Italian, world No. 95 Camila Giorgi, when she had to withdraw due to injury.
The next opponent for 20-year-old Giorgi will be Switzerland’s Romina Oprandi.
A bad day for the Italians continued with the defeat of 15th seed Roberta Vinci by Spanish qualifier Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Vinci took the first set on a tie-break, before the 31-year-old Spaniard surged back to secure a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-2 win.
In the next round, world No. 67 Dominguez Lino will play Britain’s qualifier Laura Robson, who knocked out 42-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm 6-4, 6-4.
There was also a first-round exit for 16th seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, who was stunned by Romania’s Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-0.
World No. 47 Niculescu will face either Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic or Andrea Petkovic of Germany in the second round.
