Svetlana Kuznetsova survived a second-set hiccup to beat South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers in the first round at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Kuznetsova, the 18th seed, took the first set 6-3, but the unseeded Scheepers seized the initiative to hit back and win the second set 6-3. The 26-year-old Russian found her stride to storm the final set 6-0 and set up a second-round tie with Sloane Stephens of the United States.

Kuznetsova, a two-time grand slam champion who has never made it past the quarterfinals in Melbourne, joins compatriots Maria Sharapova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Maria Kirilenko, Vera Zvonareva, Ekaterina Makarova, and Nadia Petrova in round two.