HOBART, Australia -- Top-seeded Marion Bartoli was an easy opening-round winner, while second-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova exited the draw Monday at the $220,000 Hobart International tennis event, a final Australian Open tuneup.
The French Bartoli, a former Wimbledon runner-up, routed fading former world No. 1 Russian Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-1 on the hardcourts at Domain Tennis Centre.
Up next for the hard-hitting Bartoli will be another Russian, Elena Vesnina.
Pavlyuchenkova was trailing American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 2-6 after one set when the Russian quit with a right hip injury on Day 2.
Mattek-Sands will meet Japan's Ayumi Morita on Tuesday.
Another top-three seed was shown the door when Chinese Peng Shuai drove out No. 3 Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
In other action involving seeds, No. 5 Czech Klara Zakopalova topped American Melanie Oudin 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) and No. 6 Aussie Jarmila Groth grounded Swede Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3.
Several other women reached the second round, including the aforementioned Vesnina, Aussie wild card Alicia Molik and Austrian qualifier Tamira Paszek. The once-promising Molik bested Swede Sofia Arvidsson 7-5, 6-3.
