The 24-year-old was forced to pull out of Wimbledon when she re-aggravated her back injury which left her unable to walk for a week.
“I think my back is fine now,” Safina said. “Every morning when I wake up and it feels good I say thanks.”
Elsewhere, the 21-year-old Kleybanova produced an attacking third set to overcome her French opponent Rezai.
“In the second set I slowed down and went too far behind the court and gave her the opportunity to make more winners,” Kleybanova said. “I told myself in the third set that even if I’m missing to take her rhythm away and stay on top of the court. I was able to turn it around.”
■DANISH OPEN
AP, COPENHAGEN
Second-seeded Li Na of China beat Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the Danish Open.
Li broke Pliskova in the fourth game of the first set to lead 3-1, but the 241st-ranked Pliskova broke back to force a tiebreaker.
Li broke once in the second set to close out the indoor hard court match.
Fifth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany hit six aces on the way to beating Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele 6-2, 6-4.
Other seeded players advancing included No. 7 Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic and No. 8 Angelique Kerber of Germany.
Zakopalova defeated Paraguay’s Rossana De Los Rios 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-0 and Kerber routed Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1.
Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was set to take on Petra Martic of Croatia yesterday.
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