Venus Williams of the US celebrates after beating Julia Goerges of Germany on day two of the Wuhan Open tennis tournament in Wuhan yesterday.

DPA/Wuhan, China


Top seed Simona Halep and holder Petra Kvitova both made positive starts at the Wuhan Open yestedray, racing into the third round of the Asian hardcourt event with victories.
Halep beat Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-1 in barely an hour on court at a brand new 15,000-seat stadium while number three seed Kvitova, playing through a recovery from a mild case of glandular fever, held off Russian Daria Gavrilova 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
The Czech came from a break down in the final set to advance after two and a half hours.
Halep is bidding for a fourth trophy of the season and repaired her tournament record after losing in her opening match at the event a year ago.
Kvitova won the 2014 title over Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who was forced to withdraw form this edition due to effects from her US Open concussion.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki was seen by a doctor on court as she lost a 6-1, 4-1 lead in a second round exit to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
The Slovak outsider rallied from the depths after losing the opening set to claim the upset in China a day after Maria Sharapova was eliminated when she quit injured in the second round.
“I’m very, very happy and very, very tired right now,” the 29th-ranked Schmiedlova said upon reaching the third round after a victory which took more than three hours.
“I’m working hard and I never thought that I would have such a good ranking and have won two WTA tournaments. I’m so happy and this season is already like a dream for me.”
The winner remains in the chase for a third WTA title this season and next takes on France’s Kristina Mladenovic, a winner over 14th seed Madison Keys 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.                 Spain’s fifth seed Garbene Muguruza advanced over American Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-0 while German sixth seed Angelique Kerber beat last weekend’s champion in China, Jelena Jankovic, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 thanks to three breaks of the Serb in the final set.
“I started very well. In the second set I lost a little bit (of) my rhythm, but she also played much better in the second set,” said Kerber. “The third set was very close.
“It was up and down from her, from me. I was just trying to, like in every match, keep going, fighting to the end.”
Kerber owns four trophies in 2015 as she battles for a spot in next month’s year-end final in Singapore.
Ninth seed Ana Ivanovic was untroubled in a defeat of Madison Brengle, advancing 6-0, 6-3 win in 72 minutes in a match which featured a 12-minute game to start the second set.
Ivanovic is also chasing a Singapore spot but needs solid performances over the next two weeks in Wuhan and in Beijing to make it happen.
Spain’s seventh seed Carla Suarez Navarro advanced past Monica Niculescu 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 while Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic, the Tokyo finalist, ran out of puff and had to retire to hand Italian Camila Giorgi a 6-2 win.
Ukrainian 12th seed Elina Svitolina beat Varvara Lepchenko of the US 6-4, 6-2. US open finalist Roberta Vinci, the 15th seed, beat Irina Begu 6-4, 6-3.
British number one Johanna Konta advanced when injured Victoria Azarenka quit while trailing 6-4, 1-0. The two-time Australian open champion has been dealing with a leg issue and is already focusing on her off season and the 2016 start.
Venus Williams won her 700th career victory as she beat Juila Goerges of Germany 6-4, 6-3.
The 35-year-old American became the ninth woman to chalk up 700 victories since tennis turned professional in 1968 but still has a long way to go to catch all-time leader Martina Navratilova (1,442).
“I’m glad nobody told me before, I would have been a little bit nervous,” Williams said. “It was a good match, she’s a quality player.”