Stosur slams Kuznetsova in Cincinnati opener

CINCINNATI, Ohio: Samantha Stosur continued the rehabilitation of her hardcourt game with a 6-1, 7-5 first-round defeat of fellow Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Cincinnati WTA and ATP Masters on Monday.

Stosur, who won the US Open in 2011, had seen a dip in form that dropped her out of the top 10 in the WTA world rankings.

The 29-year-old, who also finished runner-up in 2010 at the French Open, had fallen in the third rounds of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

She began to make up ground with a hardcourt title eight days ago in Carlsbad, California, beating two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka.

Stosur needed just 66 minutes to dispatch Russia's Kuznetsova, ranked 29th in the world after several injury plagued seasons.

Stosur broke three times while never facing a break point in the contest.

The Aussie arrived in Cincinnati after exiting in the third round in Toronto last week to former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

The joint event features the elite of both tours, with Toronto champion Serena Williams heading a women's field that includes all top-20 players.

World number three Maria Sharapova will be playing for the first time since a Wimbledon second-round defeat and subsequent healing of a hip injury. (AFP)