By Team WTA
July 11 2002

Palermo, Italy (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Argentinean Paola Suarez was an easy opening-round winner Wednesday at the clay-court Palermo International tennis tournament. The 25-year-old Suarez, who combined with Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual to post a ladies' doubles runner-up finish at Wimbledon, dismissed Croatian Maja Palaversic, 6-2, 6-2, in her first action of the week.

Suarez and Ruano Pascual were defeated by the incomparable Williams sisters -- Venus and Serena -- in this past Sunday's doubles final at the All England Club.

In Wednesday's second-round play in Palermo, Bulgarian Lubomira Bacheva bounced third-seeded Swede Asa Svensson, 6-3, 6-3; fifth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva topped German Bianka Lamade, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0; and Russian Ekaterina Syssoeva stifled German Jana Kandarr, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

The winner of this week's $110,000 event will pocket $16,000.