INQUIRER Sports

AMELIA ISLAND, Florida – American Lindsay Davenport reached the second round of the $600,000 WTA Bausch and Lomb Championship on Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over compatriot Vania King.

Davenport is 43-6 with four titles since she returned to the WTA seven months ago after missing just under a year to have her first child. In 10 trips to Amelia Island, Davenport is 30-5 with titles in 1997, 2004 and 2005.

Davenport, 31, next faces American Jill Craybas and could meet third seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in the third round. Hantuchova and other top-eight seeds had an opening bye.

Hungarian eighth seed Agnes Szavay became the first to reach the third round by dispatching Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-1.

Top seed Maria Sharapova, returning from a two-week break, was to face Czech qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and French fourth seed Marion Bartoli was to meet Olga Govortsova of Belarus in later second-round matches.

Sharapova, making her first Amelia Island appearance, sat out the Miami event because of a right shoulder injury and fatigue.

The 20-year-old Russian beauty has not played since suffering her first loss of the year in an Indian Wells semi-final against countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Sharapova, seeking her first clay-court final after three prior semi-final defeats on the surface, won her first 18 matches of the year, including titles at the Australian Open and Doha.