Rome, May 6 (DPA) Top seed Dinara Safina and two-time champion Jelena Jankovic had to wait for their matches on a rainy day before finally advancing to the third round of the Rome International tennis.
For the second straight week at the Foro Italico, poor weather interrupted proceedings after postponements during the men's ATP event last Tuesday.
Safin waited most of Tuesday to get onto the clay before going past Virgine Razzano of France 7-6 (7-1), 6-1.
Third seed Jankovic, winner of the last two editions, was interrupted in her second set but came back after the hours-long pause to eliminate Argentine Gisela Dulko 6-3, 7-6 (10-8).
The Serb was relieved to not have needed a third.
'It's difficult when you have to stop a match in the middle. Especially when you are at 5-5. It was very important for me to start well from the first point.
'I needed to win that second set. If the match goes to the third set, anything can happen. It would tire me out,' said the 2008 year-end number one.
The 2008 finalist Alize Cornet of France was stunned by Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine 6-4, 6-1, in the only match not interrupted by the rain.
China's 14th seed Zheng Jie overhauled Russian Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2 while Anna Chakvetadze dumped Canadian Alkesandra Wozniak 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
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