Mauresmo in and out of Zurich Open

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ZURICH, Switzerland -- Rising teenager Victoria Azarenka beat two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Zurich Open on Monday.

Also, Maria Kirilenko of Russia upset eighth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 7-5, 6-2, and Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine outlasted Alize Cornet of France 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the only other first-round matches indoors at Hallenstadion.

Azarenka, a 19-year-old from Belarus who cracked the top 20 this year and has stayed there, broke Mauresmo's serve twice in the first set and three times in the second in her first meeting with the French star.

Mauresmo, now 29, has suffered two injury-prone seasons since winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. She ranks No. 22 and hasn't won a title in almost two years.

Kirilenko, a winner of three titles this year, broke Hantuchova at 5-5 before serving out for the first set. She then broke serve three more times in the second to complete the victory against the struggling Slovak. Hantuchova was still trying to rebound from missing two months in the spring with a foot injury.

Kirilenko had won only once in five previous meetings with Hantuchova, including a three-seat loss at the Australian Open last January.

Bondarenko defeated 19th-ranked French teen Alize Cornet 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) to earn a second-round match with Venus Williams, who had a first-round bye with all the other top-eight seeds.

The list was headed by No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, who was on a 12-match win streak and seeking her fourth straight tournament win after collecting trophies in Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow over the past three Sundays.

Jankovic faces the winner of a match scheduled on Wednesday between Russia's Nadia Petrova, whom she beat in the Stuttgart final, and Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who knocked out Williams in Moscow last week.

Williams was still in the running for a berth in the season-ending WTA Tour Championships. The American trailed Russia's Vera Zvonareva for the eighth and final spot.

Zvonareva was granted a late wild card in the Zurich draw as the fourth seed, and will face Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain or China's Li Na in round two.

Second seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia will open against the winner of Tuesday's first match on centre court between Marion Bartoli of France and Agnes Szavay of Hungary.