China's rising star Peng Shuai has eliminated Spanish clay-court specialist Lourdes Dominguez Lino to reach the second round of the WTA Italian Open.

Peng led 6-3, 3-0 when Dominguez withdrew because of heat illness.

The Chinese will next play five-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia, who received a first-round bye.

Dementieva lost to Peng 7-5, 6-4 in their first meet in 2005, in San Diego.

In other first-round matches, Svetlana Kuznetsova posted a 6-1, 6-3 win over Anna Smashnova of Israel, and Samantha Stosur of Australia upset 13th-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Martina Hingis and Venus Williams beat a pair of rising Czech teenagers to reach the third round of the tournament.

(CRI English May 17, 2006)