Reigning champion Justine Henin-Hardenne opened her quest for a third title in four years here at a 1.3 million-dollar WTA event on Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Austria's Sybille Bammer.
Top seed Henin-Hardenne improved to 12-0 at this clay court tournament with her second-round triumph, having won in 2003 and missed the event in 2004 before capturing the crown again last year.
The reigning French Open champion, who received a first-round bye, seeks her third WTA title of the year, having already won at Sydney and Dubai, and the top prize of 196,900 dollars. Swiss third seed Patty Schnyder advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over American Meilen Tu.