Serena Williams begins title defense with Kerber thrashing

Kerber,who qualified for the eight-strong tournament only because Maria Sharapova pulled out,won just five games when she was beaten by Williams in her opening match last year.

Angelique is a great player and right from the start I knew I had to play really well to be able to win this match, Williams said. I feel really good.

Williams has been drawn with Agnieszka Radwanska,Petra Kvitova and Kerber in the red group at Istanbuls Sinan Erdem dome. Second seed Victoria Azarenka,Li Na,Sara Errani and Jelena Jankovic are in the white group.

Belarussian Azarenka beat Errani 7-6,6-2 in the tournaments opening match with the defensively-minded Italian,who led 5-2 in the first set,staying in contention until the tiebreak.

Errani lost that 7-4 and looked to be in pain after suffering a calf injury midway through the second set.

I was a little rusty at the beginning, Azarenka told reporters. Overall it was important to take that first set. It was a big turnaround point.

Czech Kvitova battled to a 6-4,6-4 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the last match of the day after breaking early in both sets.

I feel really happy. It was a tough match for the first round, said Kvitova,who won the tournament two years ago.

Li Na opened her WTA Championship campaign with a 6-3,7-6 (5) victory over Sara Errani.

Errani had lost her opening match on Tuesday to Victoria Azarenka and now looks all but certain to be eliminated.

Li trailed 3-1 in the second set but won the next four games – and then could not close it. She twice served for the match and both times dropped her serve. Trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker,Li won the next five points. She used her third match point when Errani sent a forehand into the net.

Wawrinka meltdown

BASEL: Stanislas Wawrinkas prospects of playing in his first ATP World Tour Finals were damaged Tuesday by a 6-4,6-3 first-round loss to Edouard Roger-Vasselin at the Swiss Indoors.

Second-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic also lost,4-6,7-6 (4),7-6 (2) against big-serving Ivo Karlovic of Croatia,to open up Roger Federers half of the draw. Wawrinka,ranked No. 8,struggled with his service,landing barely one-third of his first serves,to continue his struggles in home tournaments in Switzerland. For 29-year-old Roger-Vasselin,it was a first victory against a top-10 player this season and just the second of his career.

Wawrinka is seventh in the points race to secure a place in the eight-man finals lineup in London next month. The ninth-placed player after next weeks Paris Masters will advance,because Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has ended his season following back surgery.

While Berdych is sixth and likely to qualify,Wawrinka is under pressure from Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet.

Berdych lost his first-round match at Basel for the fourth straight time,all against opponents ranked below him.

Kei Nishikori eased past Swiss wild card entry Marco Chiudinelli 6-2,6-4. Marcos Baghdatis beat Benjamin Becker,7-6 (8),6-1,and Ivan Dodig advanced after winning just two games when Carlos Berlocq retired injured.

Seventh-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy also lost 7-6 (3),6-3 against Daniel Brands,who beat Federer at the Swiss Open in Gstaad in July.

Federers chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals,was boosted Wednesday when Gasquet lost in the Swiss Indoors first round. Gasquet was beaten 6-4,6-2 by fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra.

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina,the top-seeded defending champion,followed Gasquet on court in a first-round match against Swiss wild card Henri Laaksonen.