(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Italy's Flavia Pennetta rallied from a set down to beat two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia on the opening day of Qatar Total Open yesterday.
Pennetta, who lost the first set, won 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to seal a spot in the second round of the $731,00 event that kicked off at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex here.
Also yesterday, former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus produced solid tennis to sail past Germany's Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
Azarenka won 6-0, 6-3 against the eighth seed.
In another match Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic beat Germany's Sabine Lisicki 7-5, 6-4. And eight-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams came back from a set down to beat Casey Dellacqua 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
"I fight until that last point. In the beginning it was very tough," Pennetta said after her match.
"I didn't have a good feeling because of the weather," the Italian said in reference to the windy conditions. I just tried my best and I kept playing every point," she added.
About her next match against Agienszka Radwanska, Pennetta said: "Well, it is going to be a tough match. She's one of the best players in the world. So I have to play my best tennis to win."
Defending champion Simona Halep of Romania yesterday said a "rib injury" forced her to pullout of the Doha event she won last year.
"Before the tournament, Saturday, during the practice, I had a big pain at my rib and it was really tough to play. I had a few days off and I started playing but I wasn't 100 percent," Halep said.
"I just tried to play during the week, and it went very well for me. Now I still feel it and I think it's more than before, so that's why I decided to stop," the Romanian said.
"I'm very disappointed (to miss the Doha event)," Halep said. "It's a very important tournament
for me. Last year here I won my first big title. This tournament gave me a lot of confidence," she said.
"It's always tougher when you have to withdraw because you have pain and it's not nice. But I have just to take care of my body and to look forward to the next tournaments," she said.
"We have many tournaments, so I just want to take the positive things from last week. Yes, of course, it's a big injury for me. It's the first time that I have had this problem.
"But still I won the tournament and I'm happy because it's very important as well," Halep, who won in Dubai on Saturday, said.
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