The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Wozniacki advances

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Wozniacki advances

NEW HAVEN (U.S.): Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki took 43 minutes to win her first round match at the Pilot Pen on Tuesday, and then credited boxing with helping her score a quick knock-out.

The second-seeded Wozniacki blanked Edina Gallovits of Romania 6-0, 6-0, winning 20 of the final 21 points in a 19-minute first set before taking 24 more minutes to end the show.

The Danish star, ranked No. 9 in the world, said her speed and fitness level began improving just after Wimbledon, when friend and super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler suggested she take up boxing.

“You run a lot,” she said. “You get strength in your stomach, your back, your shoulders, your arms, all the things that you also need in tennis.”

So far, Wozniacki has hit mostly bags, sparring just once with her coach — and apologising after she punched him.

“He started yelling at me, ‘Why are you saying sorry? It’s what the game is about. You have to hit me,”’ she said. “It’s just fun to get some aggression out some times.”

Important results:

Men: Second round: Igor Andreev bt Kevin Kim 6-3, 6-1; Bjorn Phau bt Nicolas Almagro 2-6, 6-3, 7-5; Igor Kunitsyn bt Taylor Dent 6-3, 6-4; Nikolay Davydenko bt Robert Kendrick 7-6(10), 6-3; Fabrice Santoro bt Potito Starace 7-5, 6-0; Victor Hanescu bt Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3; Fernando Verdasco bt Paul Capdeville 6-0, 6-3; Federico Gil bt Philipp Petzschner 6-7(2), 7-6(8), 6-3; Jose Acasuso bt Tommy Robredo 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5); Andreas Seppi bt Yen-hsun Lu 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5; Florent Serra bt Jeremy Chardy 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 6-1; Rajeev Ram bt Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-3.

Women: Second round: Amelie Mauresmo bt Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 6-1; Anna Chakvetadze bt Sybille Bammer 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; First round: Samantha Stosur bt Alize Cornet 6-7(8), 6-2, 6-4; Marion Bartoli bt Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Flavia Pennetta bt Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-1, 6-2; Caroline Wozniacki bt Edina Gallovits 6-0, 6-0. — AP

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