Kutuzova makes winning start

JPMorgan Chase Open

Latest results

Sharapova is perhaps the most exciting of the emerging Russians

Viktoriya Kutuzova won her first game on the WTA Tour on Tuesday, beating Lina Krasnoroutskaya 6-4 6-4 in the first round of the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles.

The 14-year-old Ukrainian said: "I was very happy - my first tournament, my first match, against a really good player.

"I was really nervous before the match. I was nervous on all the points. Not scared, just nervous a little bit. But that's normal. I can play with it.

Kutuzova will play Alexandra Stevenson in the second round.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, one of five Russians in action at the $635,000 tournament on Tuesday, survived a second-set lapse to set up a second-round clash with fifth seed Jelena Dokic.

"I'm not really happy with my game in the second set," the Wimbledon quarter-finalist said after completing a 6-3 7-6 victory over Spain's Magui Serna.

"I didn't get any returns in. I'm happy that I won it, but I'm angry with myself."

The 18-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in San Diego last week, will have to be more on her game against Dokic, who has already beaten her this year in Miami.

In the first game under the lights on Tuesday evening, Russian 16-year-old Maria Sharapova beat her 14th-seeded compatriot Nadia Petrova, a French Open semi-finalist, 6-2 2-6 7-5.

Elena Likhovtseva of Russia was also due to see second-round action on Tuesday night, against sixth-seeded Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva.

Spanish veteran Conchita Martinez, seeded seventh, led the way into the second round with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Tara Snyder.

Ai Sugiyama was the highest seed in action on Tuesday. The Japanese fourth seed came from behind to beat compatriot Saori Obata 2-6 6-3 6-3.

In other first-round matches, Barbara Schett beat former champion Amy Frazier 4-6 6-4 6-4, while Fabiola Zuluaga topped Tina Pisnik 6-1 6-3.

Nicole Pratt beat Maria Sanchez-Lorenzo 7-6 6-4, Virginia Ruano Pascual eliminated Cara Black 7-5 6-3 and Paola Suarez defeated Alicia Molik 6-4 6-4.

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Nordic Light Open

Schnyder failed to live up to her top billing

Top seed Patty Schnyder crashed out of the Nordic Light Open in Helsinki to Croatian outsider Silvia Talaja.

Schnyder, ranked 17th in the world, lost the opening set on a tie-break, and then fell away to lose the first-round match 7-6 6-2.

In other action, Hungarian fourth seed Petra Mandula beat Adriana Serra Zanetti, of Italy, 6-1 6-2.

And Germany's Barbara Rittner held off Swede Sofia Arvidsson 7-5 6-4.

Rittner will next meet promising Croatian Karolina Sprem in the second round.