Chinese contenders capped a great start to the China Open WTA tournament for local hopes on the first day.

Athens Olympic doubles champion Sun Tiantian reduced Russian Vera Zvonareva to tears with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win while world No. 60 Peng Shuai defeated Catalina Castano of Colombia 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.

Wild card entry Sun Tiantian recovered from the second set wobble to battle for a 2-1 first round win over Russia's Vera Zvonareva.

The 29th-ranked Zvonareva had nine double faults against five for Sun.

China's number three Peng Shuai beat Colombia's Catalina Castano to claim a second-round tie against Russia's defending champion and eighth seed Maria Kirilenko or Gisela Dulko of Argentina.

Earlier Jankovic, who spent a few days at home in Belgrade after withdrawing with a back injury from last week's Wismilak International in Bali, needed less than three-quarters of an hour to crush Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0, 6-1.

The Serb, ranked 17th, will await an opponent in the second round as Bali finalist Marion Bartoli of France plays Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Jankovic knocked out three top 10 players during her miracle fortnight at Flushing Meadows as she put out Russians Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kusnetsova and Czech Nicole Vaidisova, the fourth seed here.

The rapid first set against Dominguez Lino took little more than a quarter of an hour but Jankovic said there was still room for improvement.

"I'm enjoying my tennis right now, even if I'm not feeling on top of my game," she said.

Meanwhile Russian Elena Vesnina put out Emma Laine 7-6 (7/0), 5-7, 6-3, handing the Finn a second straight loss in the first round here after she lost in 2005 to China's Peng.

The top four seeds, led by French No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, Russian Bali winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, fellow Russian Nadia Petrova and Vaidisova, received first-round byes.

(AFP/Reuters September 19, 2006)