PALERMO, Sicily -- Top-seeded Silvia Farina Elia retired
with a right shoulder injury during her first-round match Tuesday
at the Palermo International.
Farina Elia was trailing Bulgaria's Tszvetana Pironkova 7-6 (3),
2-0 when she was forced to quit.
Second-seeded Flavia Pennetta, who finished second last year,
beat Antonella Serra Zanetti 6-2, 7-5, and defending champion
Anabel Medina Garrigues advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Denisa
Chladkova.
In other matches, fourth-seeded Nuria Llagostera Vives,
fifth-seeded Klara Koukalova, and No. 6 Marta Domachowska advanced.
Israel's Anna Smashnova, coming off a victory at the Modena
International last week, advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Arantxa
Parra Santonja.
Mariana Diaz-Oliva, the 2002 Palermo champion, defeated
eighth-seeded Katarina Srebotnik 6-3, 6-3.