Tennis

Defending champion Kerber opens with win in Charleston

Published Apr. 5, 2016 11:14 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber opened defense of her Volvo Car Open title with a three-set victory over Lara Arruabarrena on Tuesday night.

Top-seeded Kerber won her sixth straight match here with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (3) win. It was also the second straight year Kerber beat Arruabarrena in Charleston, although the Spaniard put up more of a struggle than in the 6-3, 6-0 defeat in 2015.

Other seeded winners at the clay-court event included No. 10-seeded Sam Stosur and 14th-seeded Daria Kasatkina.

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni topped 11th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (13).

No. 3-seeded Venus Williams begins play Wednesday.

share