FEZ, Morocco(AP) Marta Domachowska of Poland beat fourth-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-4, 6-4 Monday in the first round of the Grand Prix SAR.
Domachowska broke Kirilenko, who reached the Barcelona Open final two weeks ago, five times. The 109th-ranked Domachowska will next face either Petra Cetkovska of Czech Republic or Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium at the clay-court tournament.
Sixth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia also advanced, beating Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Israeli player Shahar Peer, who was denied a visa for a tournament in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, will play in Morocco this week, organizers confirmed Monday. The 48th-ranked Peer will face Aravane Rezai of France in the first round.
Peer will be playing in an Arab country for the first time since she was denied a visa for the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. At the time, Dubai authorities cited security fears to justify their decision, which came as many Arab countries stepped up their boycott against Israel in the wake of its deadly military offensive in the Gaza Strip.