Dinara Safina of Russia celebrates a point against Olivia Rogowska of Australia during their match at the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York, September 1, 2009.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

World number one Dinara Safina avoided the humiliation of a first-round exit from the U.S. Open on Tuesday after she came from one set down to beat Australia's Olivia Rogowska.

The 23-year-old Russian top seed, still searching for her first Grand Slam title to justify her ranking, outlasted the 167th-ranked wildcard entrant 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-4 after two hours and 35 minutes.

Instead of becoming the first U.S. Open women's top seed to lose her opening match, Safina escaped from a 3-0 hole in the third set to reach a second-round match against Germany's 67th-ranked Kristina Barrois, who beat Poland's Urszula Radwanska 6-4 6-4.

Dinara Safina of Russia (L) is congratulated by Olivia Rogowska of Australia after their match at the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York, September 1, 2009.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

Safina nearly became only the fifth top seed in Grand Slam history to lose in the first round, the first since Martina Hingis was eliminated by Spain's Virginia Ruano-Pascual at Wimbledon in 2001.

Meanwhile, Ana Ivanovic slumped out of the U.S. Open in the first round with a 2-6 6-3 7-6 defeat by Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko .

The Serbian 11th seed, who has struggled with her form all season, was beaten in the opening round of a major for the first time in her career.

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia hits a return to Roberta Vinci of Italy during their match at the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York, September 1, 2009.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

Jelena Jankovic, runner-up last year to Serena Williams and the fifth seed, kicked off her U.S. Open campaign with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Italian Roberta Vinci.

Reigning French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova shook off a slow start to advance, the Russian sixth seed ousting Germany's Julia Goerges 6-3 6-2.

Kuznetsova, who won her first of two career Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 U.S. Open, next faces Latvia's 96th-ranked Anastasija Sevastova, who ousted Thailand's 90th-rated Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 7-5.

The 2006 champion Maria Sharapova made a stylish return to Flushing Meadows, crushing Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3 6-0, while fourth seed Elena Dementieva was far too strong for France's Camille Pin running out a 6-1 6-2 winner.

China's Peng Shuai, a possible fourth-round foe for Safina, opened with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Slovakia's Jarmila Groth. Peng next faces Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, who ousted French 16th seed Virginie Razzano 6-4 6-3.

Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated Kazakh Galina Voskoboeva 6-4 6-0 and next faces Croatian qualifier Petra Martic,who eliminated France's Severine Bremond 6-4 6-2.

(Xinhua News Agency September 3, 2009)