Melbourne - Third-seeded Dinara Safina has advanced to the second round of the Australian Open.
Safina, the Beijing Olympics silver medallist, beat fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3 6-4 on Monday, converting her first match point with a backhand down the line.
Safina came into the season's first major on a loss to Olympic champion and fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in the Sydney International final on the weekend.