• AEGON Classic

Robson gets Wimbledon preparations off to good start

Laura Robson looked in good form as she advanced to the second round of the AEGON Classic in Birmingham © Getty Images

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Laura Robson shrugged off the furore over quotes attributed to her in a recent magazine interview to progress to the second round of the AEGON Classic in Birmingham.

The 16-year-old, playing in her first top-level tournament by right after coming through the qualifying draw, looked in good form as she sprayed several winners off both flanks against world No. 78 Stefanie Voegele.

Robson won the first set with a break in the ninth game - courtesy of a confident backhand volley - before her Swiss opponent withdrew with a back injury after winning the first game of the second set to hand the 2008 Wimbledon junior champion the match. The Australian-born player will play world No. 16 Yanina Wickmayer, who was granted a bye in the opening round, next.

Fellow English player Melanie South also won the first set in her match with Anna Chakvetadze, but ran out of steam as she slipped to a disappointing 3-6 6-4 6-4 loss.

Heather Watson produced a valiant display of returning as she created five break points against Alla Kudryavtseva but the Russian's power was too much as she battled her way to a 6-4 6-3 win. Watson's brittle second serve proved her undoing as she won less than half of the points on offer but the 2009 US Open junior champion should take heart from a battling display.

Katie O'Brien's interest in the tournament ended in the first round, as the Brit was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Sesil Karatantcheva.

No. 10 seed Magdalena Rybarikova looked set for a surprise defeat against Regina Kulikova as she lost the first set 7-5 but an injury to her Russian opponent in the second ensured a place in the second round for the 21-year-old. No. 11 seed Melinda Czink did not enjoy the same good fortune as she exited the competition at the hands of Marina Erakovic, who prevailed 7-5 6-4.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands set up a second-round clash with 2004 Wimbledon champion and No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova with a 4-6 6-4 6-2 win over Alberta Brianti.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Sania Mirza, Mirjana Lucic, Michelle Larcher De Brito and Ekaterina Makarova.

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