Li Na is off to a strong start at the Australian Open. The Chinese tennis star met Kazakhstan's Ksenia Pervak in first round action at Melbourne on Monday.

China's Li Na makes a backhand return during her first round match against Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan play at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012.

Li Na's opponent Pervak is 20-year-old who changed her nationality from Russian to Kazakh. She just joined the top 40 in the world ranking, and is now regarded as a rising star in women's tennis. But this was the first time that Li Na and Pervak had ever played each other.

The left-handed Pervak presented a tough challenge, but Li used her experience from beating other southpaws, like Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova. The Chinese player got the timely service breaks in the first set and won it 6-3.Li Na was off to a positive start. The second set was a lopsided, 6-1 count in Li Na's favor. Last year's Australian Open runner-up easily advanced to the second round.