Peer punts Pin

Stanford, Calif. -- Fifth-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer defeated Camille Pin 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the $600,000 Bank of the West Classic.

Peer, who has a runner-up finish on the tour this year, is making her third appearance in the Stanford, Calif., hardcourt tourney.

Sixth-seeded Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin ousted Ukrainian Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-2, 6-2; and eighth-seeded Austrian Sybille Bammer topped Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-2. Russian Maria Kirilenko rallied to best Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Belarusian Olga Govortsova, India's Sania Mirza and Russian qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova also were first-round winners.

The top seeds this week are Russian Anna Chakvetadze and Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli. Bartoli plays a second-round match Wednesday against American wildcard Lilia Osterloh, and third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova plays China's Shuai Peng.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.