Injured Mattek-Sands of US loses in Paris

PARIS (AP) - Injured American Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost to Roberta Vinci 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 Thursday in the second round of the Open GDF Suez.

Mattek-Sands struggled through a lower-back injury at 3-2 in the third set, sobbing during the changeover and calling a therapist to massage her left hip and thigh.

The seventh-seeded Italian won when Mattek-Sands sent a backhand into the net.

Mattek-Sands struggled with her serve in the first set, making four double-faults and landing only 45 percent of her first serves.

But the American qualifier took a 5-0 lead in the next set to tie the match when Vinci sent a forehand wide.

Mona Barthel and Angelique Kerber of Germany and Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic also moved into the quarterfinals.

Barthel hit 26 winners to six for French wildcard Pauline Parmentier in a 6-3, 6-0 rout.

Zakopalova cruised past Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-0, 6-3, and Kerber edged Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

The U.S. Open semifinalist led 4-0 in the last set. Niculescu rallied from 3-1 down in the second to even the match with a service winner.