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WTA Tianjin Open: Top seed Jelena Jankovic beats Alla Kudryavtseva in three sets

Jelena Jankovic hits a return against Garbine Muguruza at the 2014 Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Tokyo
Image: Jelena Jankovic: Overcame second-set lapse to beat Alla Kudryavtseva

​Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic overcame a second-set lapse to defeat Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2 0-6 6-0 in the first round of the inaugural Tianjin Open in China on Tuesday.

Jankovic was broken three times in the second set, winning only four points on her serve, but came back to break Kudryavtseva three times in the third.

Crowd favorite Peng Shuai, who grew up in Tianjin, also struggled, needing three sets to defeat Shahar Peer of Israel 7-5 4-6 6-2.

The second-seeded Peng reached the US Open semi-finals last month, but is still looking for her first WTA Tour title.

In other matches, fourth-seeded American Varvara Lepchenko defeated Ukrainian qualifier Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1 6-0, while seventh-seeded Monica Puig of Puerto Rico was upset by Czech Andrea Hlavackova 7-5 6-1.

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There were also wins for Russian teenager Elizaveta Kulichkova, Hsieh Su-Wei from Taiwan and eighth-seeded Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic.

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