Vlada Ekshibarova of Uzbekistan won her first WTA match Tuesday, upsetting sixth-seeded Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Tashkent Open.
Ekshibarova led 3-0 in the second set before Kudryavtseva won three straight games, but the 18-year-old Uzbek then won the next three in her WTA tour debut.
"I stuck to my tactics and kept her on the baseline, frequently changing the rhythm of the match," Ekshibarova said. "That was the key for my success."
Third-seeded Olga Govortsova of Belarus also won, defeating Renata Voracova of the CzechRepublic 6-3, 6-3. She will next face Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, who beat Yuliana Fedak of Ukraine 6-0, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Elena Vesnina advanced by beating Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-3, 6-4, and seventh-seeded Olga Poutchkova of Russia eliminated 2006 runner-up Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan 7-5, 6-3.