Russian sixth seed Dinara Safina advanced to the third round of the US Open with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Roberta Vinci of Italy.
Roland Garros finalist Safina, who has won three WTA titles this season as well as silver medal at the Olympics, established a 3-0 lead in the first set and 3-1 in the second, but her inconsistency enabled world No.164 Vinci to break back and threaten a fightback.
Still, hard-hitting Safina extended her win-loss record since Wimbledon to 17-0 and will play Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky, ranked 60th, in round three.
