Sugiyama, Safina advance at WTA event (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Japan's Ai Sugiyama upset Swiss seventh seed Patty Schnyder while Russian fourth seed Dinara Safina ousted China's Peng Shuai in second-round matches here on Wednesday at a 600,000-dollar WTA event. Sugiyama subdued Schnyder 6-4, 7-5 and will face the winner of a later match between Austrian Tamira Paszek and Italy's Flavia Pennetta. Safina advanced 6-2, 6-2 to book a Thursday third-round date against the winner of a later match between Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova and Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva. Hungary's Melinda Czink put herself in the path of Serbian top seed Jelena Jankovic by beating Ukraine's Olga Savchuk 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Jankovic was to face US standout Vania King in a later match. Australian Samantha Stosur ousted Russia's Regina Kulikova 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 and will face either eighth seed... [read full story]