Indian Wells, CA (Sports Network) - American teenager Taylor Townsend came up
a winner in her WTA debut Thursday at the $5.186 million BNP Paribas Open.
The 16-year-old American wild card posted a 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 victory over
Czech Lucie Hradecka on the hardcourts at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The promising left-hander and Chicago native Townsend, who was the top-ranked
junior in the world at the end of 2012 and is considered to be one of the
brightest prospects for the women's game, will face former world No. 1 Ana
Ivanovic in the second round.
Meanwhile, 42-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm snuck past
Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Additional wins came for Romanians Monica Niculescu and Irina-Camelia Begu.
The hot Niculescu was a finalist in Brazil last week.
Victoria Azarenka beat former champion and fellow former world No. 1 Maria
Sharapova in last year's final in the California desert. The two women are
this week's top seeds.
Other former Indian Wells champs in the field are former world No. 1s Caroline
Wozniacki, Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.
This Premier Mandatory WTA event will pay its' newest champion $1 million.
The Sports Network