EASTBOURNE, England — Former grand-slam finalists Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dominika Cibulkova advanced to the second round of the Eastbourne grass-court tournament on Monday, while top-seeded Petra Kvitova withdrew through illness a week before starting her title defense at Wimbledon.
Kuznetsova, who has won the French Open and U.S. Open, converted all four of her break points in beating Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (5), 6-4 to set up a match against Flavia Pennetta.
Cibulkova, a runner-up at the Australian Open last year, beat Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-3 and will next play 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist Lucie Safarova.