Alize Cornet Beats Ekaterina Makarova in Kremlin Cup First Round

Alize Cornet of France beat hometown favorite Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-3 at the Kremlin Cup on Monday to set up a possible second-round meeting with Maria Sharapova.

MOSCOW (AP) Alize Cornet of France beat hometown favorite Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-3 at the Kremlin Cup on Monday to set up a possible second-round meeting with Maria Sharapova.

Cornet won a frantic match which included five consecutive breaks of serve in the first set.

Her victory means she will play Sharapova if the Russian beats Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia on Tuesday.

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Also in the first round, Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic needed just 49 minutes to beat Donna Vekic of Croatia 6,-0, 6-2.

In the men's draw, Dudi Sela of Israel defeated Borna Coric of Croatia 6-3, 6-2.