Chinese standouts Zheng Jie and Li Na advanced Tuesday at the $700,000 WTA Los Angeles Championship but it was Peng Shuai who provided China's most exciting performance, even in defeat.
Russian second seed Vera Zvonareva rallied to deny a determined upset bid by Peng before advancing to the third round with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) triumph in the US Open hardcourt tuneup.
Also struggling to reach the third round was Serbian sixth seed Ana Ivanovic, who outlasted American Vania King 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
Zheng, the first Chinese player in a Grand Slam semi-final after reaching the last four last year at Wimbledon, defeated Ukraine qualifier Olga Savchuk 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.
Li advanced when Japan's Ayumi Morita retired after losing the first eight games of their first-round match.
Japan's veteran 38-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm was also eliminated, falling to Germany's Sabine Lisicki 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 7-5.
Daniela Hantuchova rallied to oust American Melanie Oudin 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-2. The Slovakian booked a second-round date against world No 1 and defending champion Dinara Safina of Russia.
(AFP via China Daily August 6, 2009)
