Serena Williams survives early China Open scare

Serena Williams has avoided a scare in the opening round of the China Open by beating Spanish qualifier Silvia Soler-Espinosa.

The defending champion was in woeful form early in the opening set as three breaks of serve saw Soler-Espinosa move into a remarkable 5-0 lead.

However, normal service was resumed by Williams when she reeled off the next seven consecutive games in ruthless fashion to take it 7-5.

The American carried her dominance into the second by going 3-1 up, and she broke again late on to close out the contest 7-5 6-2 with one hour and 15 minutes on the clock.