Sabine Lisicki has recorded her first win since February in a WTA-level match with a 6-4 6-2 victory over two-time grand slam finalist Vera Zvonareva at the Guangzhou Open.
The German lost her opening service game but recovered to take a 4-1 lead on Monday before the 34-year-old Zvonareva, runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, won 12 straight points to level at 4-4.
Lisicki, a Wimbledon finalist in 2013, held and then broke to seal the first set.
She recovered an early break in the second set to dominate the end of the match and move into second-round match against fifth-seeded Yulia Putintseva, who had a 6-1 6-1 win over Sara Sorribes Tormo.
In other first-round matches, Bernarda Pera beat Magdalena Frech 7-6(3) 6-1.
Australian Lizette Cabrera, who reached the quarter-finals of last year's event, faces Andrea Petkovic in their first-round clash on Tuesday.
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