GAIBA, Italy — Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin defeated Tamara Zidansek 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Veneto Open on Monday.
Kenin raced to a 5-0 advantage in the first set, then lost four straight games before closing it out and running away with the second.
Ranked No. 127 after an injury-plagued 2022, Kenin was playing her second match on grass this season after losing to Sonay Kartal in qualifying in Nottingham nine days earlier.
Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020 and reached the French Open final that year.
Also, fourth-seeded Olga Danilovic eliminated Alessandra Teodosescu 6-2, 7-5; and sixth-seeded Yuan Yue defeated Han Na-lae 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Other winners included Italian wild card Lisa Pigato and Jang Su-jeong.
It’s the second year of the Veneto Open, the first WTA tournament played on natural grass in Italy. The courts are made on former soccer fields.