Mason, OH (Sports Network) - Ninth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany rallied to win her first-round match and American Venus Williams breezed into the second round Monday at the $2.369 million Western & Southern Open tennis event. Kerber, last years finalist, disposed of Italian Karin Knapp, 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-1. Williams, playing in only her second event since a first-round loss at the French Open, carved up a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Slovakian qualifier Jana Cepelova. Williams has been hampered by a low back injury this year, but she moved into round two in a swift 66 minutes. Former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur posted a first-round victory. The 11th-seeded Aussie got past former top-five Russian star and fellow former U.S. Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 7-5, on the hardcourts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Stosur was a hardcourt titlist in Carlsbad, Calif., two weeks ago. Italian Roberta Vinci, the No. 12 seed, ousted American wild card Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Meanwhile, 16th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko outlasted Georgian qualifier Anna Tatishvili, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4). In action involving Americans on Day 1, Sloane Stephens held off Croatian qualifier Petra Martic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, qualifier Vania King topped Frances Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 6-4, and wild card Lauren Davis surprised Czech veteran Klara Zakopalova 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-1). Stephens is rewarded with a second-rounder against 2011 champion, 2010 runner-up and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova, while King will meet former top-ranked star Victoria Azarenka in her next outing. Also advancing were qualifiers Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, Russian Alisa Kleybanova and Romanian Simona Halep, who has won three WTA titles since mid June. Up next for Halep will be Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli. This weeks top seed is last weeks Toronto titlist, Serena Williams, whos also the reigning U.S. and French Open champ. Chinas Li Na beat Kerber in last years Western & Southern finale. Li will meet Davis in the round of 32 here. This weeks winner will earn $426,000. The tournament is part of the U.S. Open Series, or the North American hardcourt events that lead up to the U.S. Open, which will commence August 26. Cheap Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . LOUIS -- St. Falcons Jerseys China .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. http://www.cheapfalconsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Wholesale Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Atlanta Falcons Jerseys 2018 . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels Tyler Skaggs and the Houston Astros Collin McHugh are the scheduled starters for Saturdays game, but more notable is who wont be there.The Angels made it official Friday when they shut down Albert Pujols for the rest of the season. He will wind up missing the final five games because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, something that has bothered him for the past month.Many criticized the Angels for signing Pujols to a 10-year contract prior to the 2012 season, knowing Pujols would be 41 by the end of the contract. Injuries would surely slow him down, it was said.And while Pujols has suffered a number of injuries primarily to his legs and feet since joining the Angels, he has managed to stay in the lineup and put up numbers. He is exactly halfway through his contract at five years, and has played in at least 152 games in four of them, including this season.He has hit 28 home runs or more in four of the five seasons, including 40 as recently as last year. And his 119 RBI this season were the most since he had 135 in 2009 with the Cardinals, when he won the last of his three MVP awards.And while Angels manager Mike Scioscia has made Pujols more of a designated hitter than first baseman in order to keep him off his feet as much as possible and keep him healthy, Pujols said Friday he wants that to change.Im going to be ready to play first base, Pujols told reporters Friday. Hopefully Ill get to train the way I want and Ill ccome back as a first baseman.ddddddddddddI want to get back on the field.Pujols accepted Scioscias decision to DH him this season -- he started 28 games at first base and 123 as the DH -- but it wasnt like he loved it.It was all right, he said. (But) Im not going to be doing that next year.That, of course, is up to Scioscia, who wasnt willing to make any decisions just yet.Were a better team when he plays first base, Scioscia said. Hes a terrific first baseman, but not at the expense of losing what he needs to do in the batters box.The Astros George Springer will be in the lineup Saturday as Astros manager A.J. Hinch wants to give his right fielder the opportunity to play in all 162 games. No Astro has played in all 162 since Carlos Lee in 2007.Springer also is one home run away from 30 for the season, and second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa are four RBI shy of 100.With the club eliminated from playoff contention, those individual milestones are something Hinch is paying attention to.Theres a couple of guys that are chasing some individual plateaus that are important to them, and if its important to them, its important to me, Hinch said. A hundred RBI for Altuve and Correa would be a great cap to their personal seasons. George is one homer shy of 30 and hes played in (160). So Ill pay attention to a little bit of that. ' ' '