PERTH, Australia (AP):

The brother-and-sister combination of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina gave Russia an opening win over Italy at the Hopman Cup yesterday.

Safin, who played with facial bruises and scratches from a recent fight in Moscow, had 14 aces on his way to a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Simone Bolelli in the second singles match.

Safina beats Flavia

Safina beat Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3 to give Russia a 1-0 lead in the opener.

In mixed doubles, Pennetta and Bolelli beat Safina and Safin 5-7, 6-4 and 10-2. Any match win counts for points which would be used in tie-breakers to determine placings later in the tournament.

Safin, who is playing in the Hopman Cup for the fourth time, arrived in Perth on Saturday night with bruises and cuts on his face, including a heavy bruise under his left eye.

After yesterday's match, he first joked in an on-court television interview that the facial injuries came from "working out hard", but then said, without elaborating: "I got in trouble in Moscow. It was much worse ..."

At a later press conference, Safin admitted to getting into a fight about a week ago in the Russian capital.

"It's OK, I can survive," Safin said. "Just some small problem that I wasn't in the right place at the right time. Yes, I won the fight. I'm good, I'm OK."

When Safin arrived Saturday night, he first asked for a tournament doctor.

Earlier, Pennetta was serving for the first set at 5-4 when Safina, playing at the Hopman Cup for the first time, won the next three games to take the opener. In the second, the Russian fell behind 3-0 before reeling off six straight games to take the match.