Dubai, February 20:

Eleni Daniilidou of Greece upset seventh-seeded Li Na of China while No 6 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland advanced past Italy’s Francesca Schiavone in the first round of the Dubai Open on Monday.

The 42nd-ranked Daniilidou needed more than three hours to subdue Li 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3). Schnyder struggled in the opening set but prevailed 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 over Schiavone.

Maria Kirilenko of Russia also advanced beating Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 6-0. Alicia Molik of Australia beat German Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-4 while Japan’s Ai Sugiyama beat Tunisian Selima Sfar 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Defending champion and second-ranked Justine Henin had a bye in the first round. The tournament, which runs until Saturday, also features third-ranked Amelie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Hingis.