PARIS, Feb 10: Li Na of China advanced to the second round of the Paris Open on Monday by beating last year’s finalist Agnes Szavay of Hungary 7-6 (6), 6-2.

In a back-and-forth first set, Li raced out to a 3-0 lead before Szavay bounced back to win the next five games. However, Szavay double faulted on two set points at 5-4, and then added three more double faults to give Li a 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker.The Hungarian then saved four set points before Li converted her fifth with a forehand winner.

Li dominated the second set, breaking Szavay twice before converting her third match point when her opponent made an unforced error.

It was Li’s first match of the season after undergoing surgery on her right knee.

Also on Monday, Kaia Kanepi of Estonia outlasted the seventh-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 while Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-1.

Kanepi wasted five match points at 5-4 in the final set, before sealing the match with a forehand winner at the net.

The 17-year-old Pavlyuchenkova converted all three of her break points in the second set to cruise to victory.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

First round: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) bt Virginie Razzano (France) 6-4, 6-1; Li Na (China) bt Agnes Szavay (Hungary) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2; Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) bt 7-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

DAVYDENKO WINS

ROTTERDAM (The Netherlands): Russian Nikolay Davydenko made a convincing comeback to the ATP tour on Monday by brushing aside compatriot Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round of the World Indoor Tournament.

Third seed Davydenko, the world number five, withdrew from the Chennai Open in the first week of the year with a hip injury which kept him out of the Australian Open.

Davydenko broke his opponent’s service game early in both sets to set up a second-round match with France’s Julien Benneteau, who eliminated Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Compatriots Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov also registered first round wins to accompany Davydenko into the last 16. Briton Andy Murray will be in action on Tuesday against Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

Youzhny, the 2007 champion, beat French qualifier Laurent Recourdec 6-4, 6-4 while Tursunov defeated Arnoud Clement 6-0, 6-3.

Results:

First round: Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands) 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(1); 3-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-3, 6-2; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Laurent Recouderc (France) 6-4, 6-4; Julien Benneteau (France) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 6-0, 6-3.

STEPANEK moves on

SAN JOSE (California): Fourth-seeded Radek Stepanek needed three sets to beat German qualifier Dominik Meffert, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the second round of the ATP tournament on Monday.

Stepanek of the Czech Republic won 89 per cent of his first service points in the third set to overcome a rocky start.

Germany’s Tommy Haas won twice on Monday when he beat countryman Lars Poerschke, 6-1, 7-6 (8) in the first round, then stayed to play Pete Sampras in an exhibition match when James Blake was forced to withdraw due to back spasms.

Results:

First round: Florent Serra (France) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 7-5, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4; Christophe Rochus (Belgium) bt 7-Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) 6-2, 7-6 (9-7); 4-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Dominik Meffert (Germany) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1; Taylor Dent (US) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 6-3, 6-4; Tommy Haas (Germany) bt Lars Poerschke (Germany) 6-1, 7-6 (10-8); Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 7-5, 6-2.—Agencies