Clijsters back in action next week
 |  Clijsters will end her long injury absence in Belgium next week |
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Belgian former world number one Kim Clijsters has recovered from wrist surgery and will return to tennis action next week at a low-key event in her homeland.
The 21-year-old, who missed the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year with torn wrist tendons complicated by a cyst, said on Monday she was completely recovered if still in a little pain.
"Good news from the doctors," she wrote in her online diary. "The wrist should now be completely recovered."
She added: "When I am practising with more intensity, I still feel some pain, but that is quite normal ... nevertheless, I will try and prepare as thoroughly as possible for the Hasselt tournament."
The tournament, in its first year, offers a total of just $170,000 prize money to be split among the 32-woman field.
Clijsters, who last week unveiled plans to marry Australian number one Lleyton Hewitt next February, has not played competitively since the beginning of May when she was forced to withdraw midway through a tournament in Berlin.
Her ranking has slipped from world number two to seventh since then and Clijsters is keen to get back to work.
"In the last few days I have been training fairly hard," she said.
"Maybe still a little more cautiously than before, more in control. My backhand isn't completely what it should be, but I guess that won't take long now.
"Every time I hit the ball I still feel some pain, which should be due to the scar tissue only. Nothing to worry about, the doctors told me."
Clijsters is likely to be seeded first for the September 27-October 3 tournament.
French Open and U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva will probably be second seed.
Safina faces Serena
Russian Dinara Safina stormed into the second round of the China Open in Beijing on Monday, the day after big brother Marat Safin won the men's title.
The 18-year-old Safina thrashed local favorite Yan Zi 6-3 6-2 to set up a showdown with top seed Serena Williams at the inaugural $585,000 tournament in Beijing.
Former world number one Safin broke a two-year title drought with a 7-6 7-5 victory over compatriot Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday.
Safina, dubbed "Little Red" after her brother became known as "Big Red" for his booming serve and imposing presence, has won two WTA titles, in Sopot in 2002 and in Palermo last year.
Fellow Russians Maria Sharapova, who beat Williams to win the Wimbledon title, and U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova are among the top four seeds who all received first-round byes.
In other matches, Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues beat Japan's Saori Obata 7-5 6-2 while Venezuelan Maria Vento-Kabchi edged past Flavia Pennetta of Italy 7-6 6-4.
Russian Tatiana Panova advanced to face Sharapova when Slovenian Tina Pisnik retired injured after dropping the first set 6-0.
