SEOUL, Sept 20: Top seed Francesca Schiavone suffered a shock first-round defeat of the Korea Open on Tuesday when she was upstaged by Vera Dushevina 7-6, 6-2.

The eighth-ranked Italian lost to Russia’s Dushevina for the third time in four meetings.Second seed Marion Bartoli advanced at the Olympic Park by beating Nuria Llagostera-Vives of Spain 6-2, 6-2.

Three other seeded players also advanced. No 3 Julia Goerges of Germany defeated Yunka Sema of Japan 6-1, 6-1, Polona Hercog of Slovenia eliminated Zuzana Kucova of Slovakia 6-0, 6-2, and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania defeated Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-3.

Also, eighth seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia lost to Galena Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-4, while 2009 champion Kimiko Date-Krumm lost to Vania King of the US 6-2, 6-2.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

First round: Vera Dushevina (Russia) bt 1-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 7-6 (4), 6-2; Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) bt Anastasiya Yakimova (Japan) 6-3, 6-2; Galena Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) bt 8-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4, 6-4; Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand), 6-2, 6-0; Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) bt Eva Birnerova (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-4; 5-Polona Hercog (Slovenia) bt Zuzana Kucova (Slovakia) 6-0, 6-2; Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) bt Nicole Rottmann (Austria) 6-1, 7-5; Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) bt Kim So-jung (South Korea) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5; 3-Julia Goerges (Germany) bt Yunka Sema (Japan) 6-1, 6-1; 7-Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 6-1, 6-3; Vania King (US) bt Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) 6-2, 6-2; 2-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Nuria Llagostera-Vives (Spain) 6-2, 6-2.—AP