Benesova starts and ends strong in Pacific Life opener

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Iveta Benesova concluded a three-day whirlwind in which she went from champion to loser to winner again by beating Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 in the opening round of the Pacific Life Open on Wednesday.

Benesova, 21, of the Czech Republic, on Sunday won her first WTA title on clay in Acapulco, Mexico.

She arrived in Indian Wells about midnight Monday after flying by way of Mexico City and Los Angeles, then lost in the final round of qualifying Tuesday. But later that evening, while practicing for doubles, she got into the 96-player singles field when Chanda Rubin withdrew.

Benesova, who said winning the title made her "more confident," tired in her final qualifying match.

On Wednesday, she felt more refreshed.

"When you're winning, it's not so bad," she said.

With the 32 seeds in this $2.1 million event getting first-round byes, the rest of the first day became a showcase for talented youngsters.

Tatiana Golovin, 16, of France, was a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 winner over Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, at No. 49 the highest-ranked player in action. Alisa Kleibanova, 14, of Russia, made her WTA debut with a 2-6, 6-0, 7-5 win over Jelena Kostanic of Croatia. Later Wednesday night, Sesil Karatancheva, 14, of Bulgaria, also made her debut with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 win over former Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson.

Also advancing were 1997 French Open champion Iva Majoli of Croatia, Gala Leon Garcia of Spain, Kristina Brandi of Puerto Rico, Aniko Kapros of Hungary, Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian of Switzerland, Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg, Mara Santangelo of Italy and Maria Elena Camerin of Italy.

Kleibanova, who was given a wild card into the main draw, said she "came on the court thinking I have nothing to lose, do my best and see how it goes, and try to win every point I can win. The first set I had too much energy. I was losing my timing."

Golovin, who was born in Russia, reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open and the semifinals at Paris earlier this year to climb from No. 354 to No. 93, and she will go up a few more notches now.

"I played really well in the first set," she said. "The second set I ran out of energy, then I got it together." She led 5-0 in the third before her concentration waned.