Van Roost breaks Schnyder down

Dominique Van Roost of Belgium, defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, for the first time today 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Dominique Van Roost of Belgium, defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, for the first time today 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

The pair exchanged service breaks during the first set, with neither player taking the initiative until the eleventh game of the match. Schnyder came back from 0-40 on her serve, only to send a forehand long to give the Belgian the break. Schnyder then saved two set points in the following game, but the fifth-seeded Van Roost hit a forehand down the line to take the opening set in 48 minutes. Schnyder, who was convinced the ball landed out, could not get her mind off the point for the remainder of the match.

Van Roost came through the second set with little opposition. The only trouble that she encountered was from her unreliable serve, she was prone to serving two or three double faults in a game, but as the rest of her game was so solid this did not pose much of a problem. The World No 12, broke Schnyder in the first and fifth games to take the second set in only 29 minutes and with it her first win in five meetings against the left-handed Swiss player.

"It was a good victory for me today. We played four times and I had never won before. I played very solid, that's why I won," the 26-year-old Belgian told reporters.

Van Roost next faces the US Open junior champion, Lina Krasnoroutskaya of Russia, who overcame Silvija Talaja of Romania 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. The match marked both players debut in the tournament, which is in it's tenth year. "I realized my victory only in the locker room. It's my first major event but my dream is to win all Grand Slams," the 15-year-old wild card told reporters.

In other action today, 18-year old Russian qualifier Anastasia Myskina beat Chandra Rubin of the United States in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Myskina won the WTA Tour clay-court tournament in Palermo in July to get her first career title and has jumped up 204 points since the beginning of the year to hold her current 92nd position in the WTA Tour rankings.