Indian Wells, 13 March 2011 | tennis.com.au

Fourth seed Sam Stosur has kicked off her Indian Wells singles’ campaign with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 win over Spanish qualifier Laura Pous-Tio.

Stosur gave her less-experienced opponent few opportunities throughout the match, offering up just two break-point chances, of which the Spaniard managed to convert one.

The Australian was able to penetrate Pous-Tio’s serve more regularly. On 11 occasions Stosur had an opportunity to break serve, which she managed to do five times to effect a relatively straightforward win in just over 66 minutes.

The win sets up a third-round match with former No.1 Dinara Safina. Currently ranked 108, the one-time Russian powerhouse is working to restore her ranking and standing as one of the most formidable players on the WTA Tour.

The Russian’s straight-sets win over dual Indian Wells champ and 26th seed Daniela Hantuchova marks just the second time in 2011 that Safina has passed the first round of a tournament.

Stosur and Safina have met on four occasions with the Russian holding a decisive 3-1 lead in the head-to-head count. Stosur, however, won their last meeting in 2009 when Safina was the No.2 player in the world.

The Queenslander’s next outing will be on Sunday when Stosur and doubles partner Francesca Schiavone take on sixth seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Stosur and Schiavone are the third match on Court 8, with matches beginning at 11 am Indian Wells’ time.

Just Stosur and Bernard Tomic remain out of the contingent of eight players who made it to the singles main draw.

Tomic will face 16th seed Viktor Troicki in the first match on Court 8 at 11 am Sunday morning Indian Wells’ time.

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