Niculescu ousts Ostapenko in Shenzhen first round

Qualifier Monica Niculescu upset fourth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-0, 6-2 in the first round of the Shenzhen Open on Tuesday.

The 99th-ranked Niculescu swept past the 2017 French Open champion in 51 minutes with Ostapenko winning only four points in the first set in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

"I came here early, and actually I didn't spend Christmas at home, I spent it on the plane," Niculescu said.

"But that suits (me) well ... I thought I really played well on center court."

Ostapenko had 35 unforced errors and won only two of her 20 second service points.

The loss to the Romanian follows a series of disappointing China tournaments for the Latvian star.

Ostapenko endured a poor China Open last October, hampered by a wrist injury, before losing to a player ranked 299 places below her at the Hong Kong Open.

Niculescu, who converted six of eight break points, next plays Czech Kristyna Pliskova. Peng Shuai of China retired at 3-3 in the third set against Pliskova due to a thigh injury.

Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova beat eighth-seeded compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 in a second-round match.

Kudermetova plays wildcard Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals after the Russian beat Ivana Jorovic of Serbia 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

In another second-round match, Alison Riske of the United States beat Evgeniya Rodina of Russia 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Sorana Cirstea of Romania had an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory against Pauline Parmentier of France to book her quarterfinal against Riske.

In Auckland, New Zealand, the ageless Venus Williams launched her 25th year as a professional by outlasting Victoria Azarenka in a three-set thriller at the ASB Classic on Tuesday.

In the showdown between the two former world No. 1's, the 38-year-old Williams overcame Azarenka, nine years her junior, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

The 2-hour, 10-minute marathon was packed with power and precision, and in the end Azarenka's nine aces were not enough.

Williams' superior accuracy in the opening stages gave her the first set, before the Belarus star took the second by blasting winners as she moved her opponent from side to side.

Imaginechina

In the deciding third set there were two breaks by each player in the first six games before the American opened a gap to go 5-3 up when Azarenka was wide with a cross-court forehand. The American then served for the match.

"I love my job, I love what I do but tonight was not easy and maybe one of the toughest first rounds I've ever played," Williams said, adding it was what she needed to start the year.

"My goal was to get past the first round, did you see who I had to play, and we need these matches going into the Australian Open," she said, referring to the year's first Grand Slam which begins in just under two weeks.

"Now I'm hoping the next round will be fruitful for me."

Defending champion Julia Goerges of Germany coasted through her first match with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Sweden's Johanna Larsson, while fifth seed Barbora Strycova was forced into a three-set battle to survive Taylor Townsend.

Strycova raced to a 5-1 lead over Townsend before the American lifted her game to force the match to a deciding set in which the Czech prevailed, to win 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Fourth seed Petra Martic and injured eighth seed Alison Van Uytvanck both bowed out in the first round.

American Sofia Kenin produced the first upset of the tournament when she knocked out Croatia's Martic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Belgian Van Uytvanck retired with an ankle injury when leading Dutch qualifier Bibiane Schoofs 4-3 in the first set.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki will make her first appearance on Wednesday after a weather-delayed flight from Florida saw her match against Laura Siegemund of Germany pushed back a day.