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Marrakech - Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria has surprised second-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2 in the first round of the Grand Prix SAR on Tuesday.
Svitolina made seven double faults and blew a 5-2 lead in the first set. The Ukrainian teenager then broke for a 5-3 lead in the next set to even the match. But Mayr-Achleitner broke Svitolina three times in the final set.
Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, Peng Shuai of China and Romina Oprandi of Switzerland survived three-setters to reach the second round.
The top-seeded Hantuchova made the decisive break in the penultimate game to outlast Czech qualifier Renata Voracova 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, the sixth-seeded Peng beat Tunisian wild card Ons Jabeur 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, and Oprandi rallied past Italian lucky loser Anastasia Grymalska 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
Spaniards Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, Garbine Muguruza and Lara Arruabarrena won their first-round matches in straight sets.
Torro-Flor cruised past fourth-seeded Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia 6-2, 6-2, the fifth-seeded Muguruza did not face any break points in her 6-2, 6-2 win over Julia Glushko of Israel, and qualifier Arruabarrena downed Urszula Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-3. Radwanska still hasn't won a match on the main tour this season.
Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland and Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium also advanced to the second round.
Voegele fired nine aces in her 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain and Van Uytvanck ousted Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-4, 6-1.
Results from the WTA tournament in Marrakech on Tuesday (x denotes seeding):
First round:
Estrella Cabeza (ESP) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/2)
Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 6-1, 6-3
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x1) bt Renata Vorcov (CZE) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
Shuai Peng (CHN x6) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
Romina Oprandi (SUI) bt Anastasia Grymalska (ITA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Alexandra Cadantu (ROM) 6-4, 6-1
Mara Teresa Torro (ESP) bt Bojana Jovanovski (SRB x4) 6-2, 6-2
Garbie Muguruza (ESP x5) bt Julia Glushko (ISR) 6-2, 6-2
Stefanie Vgele (SUI) bt Silvia Soler (ESP) 6-3, 6-2
Patricia Mayr (AUT) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR x2) 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-2
