MASON, OH, USA - Three singles main draw matches are among Monday's line-up at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, a Tier III tournament on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Seeds Sania Mirza and Akiko Morigami are among those in action.
(7) Akiko Morigami (JPN) vs. Camille Pin (FRA) - Morigami leads, 2-1
Japan's Morigami has really come into her own in the last few months, claiming her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title on the clay courts of Prague in May and just a few weeks ago making a resonant run to the third round of Wimbledon, taking down Dinara Safina for her fifth career Top 20 victory and holding a 5-3 third set lead on eventual champ Venus Williams before falling. Her two-fisted groundstrokes will be put to the test against feisty Frenchwoman Camille Pin, who nearly had her own Top 20 win at Wimbledon, leading Patty Schnyder 5-1 in the third in her opener before the Swiss rallied back to win and eventually reach the fourth round.
The two have played three times previously, with Pin winning their first encounter at an ITF Women's Circuit event in 2001, but Morigami prevailing in their two Sony Ericsson WTA Tour matches, at Seoul in 2005 and at Prague earlier this season.
Lilia Osterloh (USA) vs. Viktoriya Kutuzova (UKR) - Kutuzova leads, 3-0
Ohio native Osterloh is playing this event for the third straight time, and though she has played well here, she has struggled to get out of the early rounds, losing to Lindsay Davenport in three sets in the second round in 2004, Daniela Hantuchova in two sets in the first round in 2005 and Schnyder in three in the first round in 2006 (she had a 4-1 lead and a match point at 5-4 in the third there). Kutuzova is working her way back up the rankings after somewhat of a dismal start to 2007, but has had many solid results on American hardcourts in her young career, including a run to the fourth round of Indian Wells and third rounds at Los Angeles and Miami.
Kutuzova has dominated the pair's head-to-head, beginning with a three set victory at an ITF Women's Circuit event in 2003, a two set win in Charleston qualifying in 2005 and a retirement win at Wimbledon in 2006 (Osterloh had a right thigh strain).
(3) Sania Mirza (IND) vs. Abigail Spears (USA) - First Meeting
One of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's most promising young stars is the highest seed in action on Day 1, as Mirza is up second after 7pm local time against Spears. The 20-year-old Mirza is still working her way back into match toughness after missing over two months earlier in the year with a right knee injury that required surgery; but she has done well since her comeback, winning rounds at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and winning her fourth career Tour doubles title in Fes. She played well here last year, reaching the quarterfinals before falling in a tight two-setter to Schnyder. Spears should be a solid test for Mirza; the American is a one-time Tour runner-up and one-time semifinalist, and owns three career Tour doubles titles too.
This will be the first career meeting between Mirza and Spears.
Also on the Monday schedule are the four final round of qualifying matches and two first round doubles matches.
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