Pennetta opens 2012 with Auckland win

By foxsports
Published

Former top 10 player Flavia Pennetta opened her 2012 season with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Sorana Cirstea on Monday to ease into the second round of the ASB Classic women's tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.

Italy's Pennetta, the tournament's No. 4 seed, took 94 minutes to oust the unseeded Cirstea.

Other results in first-round singles matches Monday at the ASB Classic women's tennis tournament on hardcourts at the Auckland Tennis Center:

Singles first round:

Christina McHale, United States, def. Alexandra Dulgheru, Romania, 6-2, 6-3.

Sara Errani, Italy, def. Johanna Larsson, Sweden, 6-1, 6-1.

FLucie Hradecka, Czech Republic, def. Alberta Brianti, Italy, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Elena Baltacha, Britain, def. Sacha Jones, New Zealand, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Doubles first round:

Alize Cornet, France, and Monica Niculescu, Romania, def. Elena Bogdan and Alexandra Dulgheru, Romania, 6-3, 6-4.

Kristina Barrois and Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Germany, def. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, and Darija Jurak, Croatia, 6-3, 6-1.