Li Na ends rot with Stuttgart win

Li Na ended a five-match rot since the Australian Open semi-finals on Monday when she defeated Latvian Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3, in the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix.

The sixth-seeded Li raced off to a 3-0 lead in the first set and survived two dropped serves in the second en route to victory over the 37th-ranked Sevastova, which she clinched on the first match point.

Li started the season with the Sydney title and stood at 11-0 for the year after a semi-final success over world number one Caroline Wozniacki at the Melbourne Grand Slam which made her the first Chinese singles player in the final at a major.

She then lost the decider against Belgian Kim Clijsters and slumped to 0-5 when she failed to win opening round games at the next events in Dubai, Doha, Indian Wells and Miami.

Earlier on Monday, Eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France won 6-4, 6- 1 over over Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova and German wildcard entry Kristina Barrois defeated Czech player Lucie Safarova 6-1, 6-4.

Wozniacki leads seven top 10 players at the event in the Porsche Arena. The four top seeds — Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Viktoria Azarenka — have first-round byes.

Coming off back-to-back titles on hard court in Indian Wells and clay in Charleston, Wozniacki hopes to keep up the momentum in Stuttgart as she starts her European clay swing highlighted by the Paris Grand Slam.

“It is a nice part of the season but you have to adapt to it,” she said on Monday. “I am happy that I am playing well.”

Also looking for a good result is new German star Andrea Petkovic, enjoying a career-high 19 ranking after making the Miami semi-finals -with wins over former number one Jelena Jankovic and Wozniacki en route — and the leader in Germany’s 5-0 Fed Cup demolition of the United States on the weekend.

“I didn’t realise the hype in Germany when I was playing in Miami. I was only confronted by the high expectations in Germany afterwards,” Petkovic told reporters on Monday.

“I have learnt a lot, but still have a lot to learn. There are a lot of things I have to do better.”

Petkovic, 23, plays Austrian qualifier Tamira Paszek in the first round before possibly meeting Jankovic and Wozniacki again in the next rounds.

The Stuttgart tournament is held over six days this year as there is no play on the religious Good Friday holiday.