Caps' Townsend advances in French Open girls singles

   As an African-American with a stocky build and punishing groundstrokes, 17-year-old Taylor Townsend often has been compared to Serena Williams.
   Townsend, who will make her World TeamTennis debut for the Sacramento Capitals next month, has plenty of credentials, too. She won the 2012 Australian Open girls singles and doubles titles and the girls doubles crowns at last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
   Townsend turned pro in January after becoming the first American in 30 years to hold the year-end No. 1 world ranking among junior girls. In her first WTA main-draw match, she knocked off then-No. 57 Lucie Hradecka of the Czeck Republic in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March.  
   Unlike Williams, Townsend is left-handed, which can only help her.
   Townsend, a 5-foot-6 (1.68-meter) resident of Stockbridge, Ga., continued her progress today with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Viktoriya Lushkova of Ukraine in the first round of French Open girls singles in Paris.
   Townsend, seeded 11th, is scheduled to face Jana Fett of Croatia on Monday in the second round. Fett defeated Sara Tomic of Australia 7-5, 6-3. Tomic's older brother, Bernard, is ranked 61st on the men's tour.
   Megan Moulton-Levy, another African-American who will make her WTT debut for the Capitals next month, and Lauren Davis of the United States will meet seventh-seeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the U.S. and Sania Mirza of India in the second round of women's doubles today.