Radwanska advances at Linz tennis event

Radwanska, last week's runner-up to Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova at the China Open in Beijing, beat Romania's Monica Niculescu 6-4, 6-2 in her opening match at the Intersport Arena in Linz.

Her second-round opponent will be unseeded Alize Cornet of France, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner over Germany's Kristina Barrois.

Elsewhere Wednesday, No. 3 seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium topped Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain trounced Belarusian Olga Govortsova 6-3, 6-4; Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru beat Austria's Sybille Bammer 6-3, 6-1; and eighth-seeded Sara Errani of Italy routed German Tatjana Malek 6-3, 6-0.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.