Sixth-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy overpowered France's Mary Pierce on Tuesday in the first round of the $1.3 million Toray Pan Pacific tennis tournament.
Ai Sugiyama returns a backhand to Italy's Rita Grande during their first-round singles match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Sugiyama won 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
Pierce, who entered the tournament as a wild card, took the opening set at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium but looked sluggish the rest of the way as Farina Elia came back for the 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory.