BEIJING - Sun Tiantian advanced to the second round of the China Open on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Russia's Tatiana Panova.

Sun will next face Serena Williams, who won this tournament last year. "Playing against a player among the world top 10 is a good opportunity for me to learn from her," Sun said.

Another Chinese player, Peng Shuai, breezed past Finland's Emma Laine 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the second round.

Top seeds Venus and Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova take to the court later this week. All three have first-round byes, putting them into the second round.