Pennetta, Rezai through at Palermo Open

PALERMO, Italy (AP) -Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy has secured a comfortable straight-sets win over Kathrin Woerle to advance to the second round of the Palermo Open.

The defending champion beat her German opponent 6-3, 6-1 on Tuesday.

Second-seeded Aravane Rezai of France had to dig deep, though, for her 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Romania's Simona Halep.

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Two other seeded players also progressed to the second round.

Eighth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany beat Italy's Martina Caregaro, 6-3, 6-2, while ninth-seeded Italian Alberta Brianti defeated Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 7-6 (0), 6-2.

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