Mauresmo, Bartoli Survive Openers; Black, Huber Out

The last three first round matches and the first two second round matches were on the Day 3 schedule at the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick on Tuesday, although the biggest surprise came in the doubles competition.
 
Nine first round matches were played on Sunday and Monday and the last three all took the court Tuesday. No.6 seed Flavia Pennetta was the highest-profile winner, cruising past Gisela Dulko without any trouble, 63 61. Also moving on were Amélie Mauresmo, who toughed out a 62 67(3) 62 victory over Kaia Kanepi, and qualifier Monica Niculescu, who beat Maria Kirilenko in another three-setter, 67(7) 62 61.
 
Mauresmo hasn't had her best season in 2008 but showed encouraging signs last week in Cincinnati, reaching her first semifinal of the year in her first event since Wimbledon. In New Haven she returns to one of her most treasured sites, having reached the quarterfinals or better in all seven of her previous tries (including one final in 2005, where she was a runner-up to Lindsay Davenport). With her win over Kanepi, she improved to 15-7 lifetime at the Tier II tournament.
 
The first second round match of the day nearly ended in an upset, but No.3 seed Marion Bartoli battled back to beat Tsvetana Pironkova - who has had some huge wins in her blossoming career - in a tight three-setter, 26 64 75. No.4 seed Agnes Szavay, who burst into prominence right here last year by making it all the way to the final as a qualifier, played lucky loser Sara Errani under the lights in the night match and battled for over two and a half hours for a 64 67(3) 64 victory.
 
There was high drama in Day 3 doubles, as top seeds and co-world No.1s Cara Black and Liezel Huber were ousted in their first match of the week by wildcard pair Liga Dekmeijere and Patty Schnyder in a match tie-break, 63 36 106. Black and Huber are the clear-cut No.1 team this year, winning seven Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles titles together, six of those coming at the Tier II level or higher. Also drawing the crowds was the unseeded team of Davenport and Daniela Hantuchova, which beat Jill Craybas and Olga Govortsova, 63 64.
 
The remaining six second round singles matches plus several more doubles matches are all on the Wednesday schedule at the Pilot Pen Tennis.

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