Stosur in Stuttgart tennis second round

Samantha Stosur is on a roll on Stuttgart's clay but facing a big test next up against defending champion Julia Goerges. It was a case of same court, different event as Stosur cruised into the second round of the Stuttgart WTA claycourt tournament with a straight-sets defeat of China's Peng Shuai. Australia's fifth seed needed less than an hour to see off Peng 6-2 6-2 and set up a clash with Germany's Goerges who beat her in a tight three-set semi-final in the same event last year when they last met. Stosur did not get to play Goerges when she won both her singles matches - against Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic - in Australia's 3-2 Fed Cup win over Germany on Stuttgart's claycourts last weekend as Goerges was not used on the second day after losing to Jarmila Gajdosova on Saturday. A finalist in this event two years ago, Stosur was happy with her improved form since the start of the clay season as she prepares for another French Open tilt and she was enjoying the rare chance to play two events in the same city. "It was handy to have been here a week already, whereas a lot of the other girls were only arriving from Fed Cup on Monday night," said Stosur. "Sometimes the best preparations don't equate to the best performance but you aren't going to complain about playing Fed Cup in the same place as your next event. French qualifier Alize Cornet will face second-seed Maria Sharapova in the second round after her 6-3 6-4 win over Russia's Anna Chakvetadze. And compatriot Marion Bartoli, the seventh seed, is also in the second round after her 6-3 6-2 win over qualifier Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic. Bartoli will face ex-world No.1 Ana Ivanovic or Germany's Mona Barthel in the second round.