Venus, Hingis reach third round in Rome

ROME, May 16 (UPI) -- Former champions Venus Williams and Martina Hingis were among Tuesday's second-round winners at the $1.34 million Internazionali d'Italia.

Williams defeated Czech Lucie Safarova 6-1, 6-4, while Hingis ousted Czech Nicole Vaidisova 7-5, 6-3.

Williams titled here in 1999 and was the 1998 runner-up to the Swiss Hingis, who also reached a final here in 1996. Both Williams and Hingis are former world No. 1s and five-time Grand Slam champs.

Hingis will face eighth-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone in the third round, while Williams awaits the Patty Schnyder-Vera Dushevina winner.

Seventh-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Israeli Anna Smashnova 6-1, 6-3 and Schiavone beat fellow Italian Mara Santangelo 6-4, 6-0.