Stephens stymies Robson at Hobart International

American Sloane Stephens broke Laura Robson's service in the opening game and went on to beat the British player 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the first round of the Hobart

American Sloane Stephens broke Laura Robson's service in the opening game and went on to beat the British player 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the first round of the Hobart International on Sunday.

Stephens, seeded eighth, was coming off a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Serena Williams in the Brisbane International.

In the only other first-round match Sunday at the Domain Tennis Centre, Olga Govortsova of Belarus beat fifth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-2, 6-1.

Top-seeded Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan will play China's Peng Shuai in a first-round match Monday.