Serena, Safina win

Dinara Safina and Serena Williams, the world number one and two, struggled but advanced Sunday to the second round of the China Open as the US superstar looks to wrest the top ranking from the Russian.

Williams, 28, surrendered a few early service breaks but steadied herself with precise play from the backcourt to defeat Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 6-4.

The younger of the Williams sisters kept the pressure on Kanepi, eventually forcing the 24-year-old to send a sliced backhand into the net to end the first set.

The pair stayed on serve for most of the second set, but Williams sealed the win when she broke the 48th-ranked Kanepi for the fifth time in the final game.

"It was a good challenging match to start out with. It wasn't easy but I felt like I was hitting a clean ball," Williams said after the match.

"She's a really good player. She always plays me really tough."

BEIJING, Monday AFP