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Francesca Schiavone survived a shaky start to beat Indonesian qualifier Sandy Gumulya 6-2 6-0 in the first round of the Bali Classic.

The fifth seeded Italian went 2-0 down and faced game point in the third, but fought back to break her opponent's serve and take control.

Schiavone's experience made the difference as the match went on and she did not allow Gumulya to win another game in the 76-minute encounter.

"I think she's a good player," Schiavone said.

"She made an impressive start and kept going, but I played a high level so it was not easy (for her). At the end maybe the experience made the difference.

"From 3-2 in the first set until 3-0 in the second I played very well, and she played some points good and some points less."

Sixth seed Li Na was forced to withdraw after suffering swelling in her right knee. Li had surgery on the knee earlier this year.

Slovak Daniela Hantuchova is the top seed at the $225,000 event, with Switzerland's Patty Schnyder number two.

Reuters