AP

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) — 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.

Lisicki lost her opening service game but recovered to take a 4-1 lead before the 34-year-old Zvonareva, runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. 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