Kleybanova takes 3-set win over Rezai in 1st-round match at Carlsbad event

Kleybanova beats Rezai in Carlsbad tournament

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Alisa Kleybanova beat Aravane Rezai 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the Mercury Insurance Open.

In a match of unseeded players, Kleybanova easily won the first set before her French opponent broke serve at 5-all, then served out the second set. After the pair traded service breaks early in the final set, she broke Rezai twice more en route to the win.

Kleybanova next faces top-seeded Jelena Jankovic in a second-round match.

The tournament, which had been held in the San Diego area for 24 years, returned after a three-year absence.