QUEBEC CITY (Quebec), Sept 16 Nadia Petrova, who was coming off a shocking fourth-round loss to Melanie Oudin at the US Open, cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Carly Gullickson in the first round of the Quebec City Challenge.

Defending champ and top seed Petrova of Russia needed just 51 minutes to dispatch Gullickson at the 220,000 dollar indoor tournament on Tuesday.

Third seeded Aleksandra Wozniak also opened on a successful note by beating Corinna Dentoni by the same 6-2, 6-0 margin at the Laval University courts.

Last year's runner-up Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated seventh-seeded Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 7-5.

Tuesday's results (prefix number denotes seeding)

First round 3-Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) bt Corinna Dentoni (Italy) 6-2, 6-0; Madison Brengle (US) bt Mallory Cecil (US) 7-5, 6-3; 1-Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Carly Gullickson (US) 6-2, 6-0; 4-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) bt Stephanie Dubois (Canada) 6-1, 6-3; Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) bt 7-Varvara Lepchenko (US) 6-4, 7-5; 8-Julia Goerges (Germany) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-3, 7-5; Amra Sadikovic (Switzerland) bt Olga Puchkova (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; Regina Kulikova (Russia) bt Jorgelina Cravero (Argentina) 6-4, 6-2; Lilia Osterloh (US) bt Shenay Perry (US) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2; Severine Bremond Beltrame (France) bt Heidi El Tabakh (Canada) 5-0 - retired; Vania King (US) bt Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) 7-5, 6-2.

Monday's results

First round Valerie Tetreault (Canada) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-1; Rebecca Marino (Canada) bt Lauren Albanese (US) 6-4, 6-3; Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) bt Katie O'Brien (Britain) 6-1, 6-4; 5-Melinda Czink (Hungary) bt Monique Adamczak (Australia) 6-3, 7-6(1); 6-Jill Craybas (US) bt Laura Granville (US) 6-0, 6-1.—Agencies