MONTREAL (Ticker) -- Anna Kournikova continues to build upon her best results of the season.

The popular Russian cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory Monday evening over Japanese qualifier Saori Obata in the first round of the $1.22 million Rogers AT&T Cup.

In other night action, ninth seed Elena Dementieva of Russia rolled to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Adriana Serra Zanetti of Italy and American qualifier Sarah Taylor hammered Canadian wild card Jana Nejedly, 6-1, 6-0.

Earlier Monday, No. 10 Silvia Farina Elia of Italy kicked off her North American hardcourt campaign with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Maureen Drake of Canada.

Kournikova reached her third semifinals of the season two weeks ago at the Acura Classic in San Diego. She beat then-No. 18 Anna Smashnova in the quarterfinals, but fell to No. 5 Jelena Dokic after holding two match points in the second set.

A week before, Kournikova snapped a five-match losing streak in Stanford, where she reached the quarterfinals. She did not play last week's event in Los Angeles.

The 21-year-old Russian was out eight months last season with a broken foot, but has shown improvement since hooking up with new coach Harold Solomon, who helped revive Jennifer Capriati's career.

Kournikova's countrywoman, Dementieva, tries to avoid a three-match losing streak Monday night against Zanetti. Dementieva has reached at least the quarterfinals at six tournaments this season and the fourth round at the French Open and Wimbledon. She appeared in her second career final in June at the Ordina Open.

Before crossing the Atlantic, Elia had played in a pair of European claycourt events after reaching the third round of Wimbledon, losing in the second round in each.

A trio of seeded players fell Monday. Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina toppled No. 11 Anastasia Myskina of Russia, 6-3, 6-1.

Alexandra Stevenson of the United States eliminated Smashnova, the 13th seed from Israel, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), and Spanish qualifier Virginia Ruano Pascual crushed No. 14 Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, 6-1, 6-0.

But No. 12 Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic reached the second round with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 come-from-behind win over American qualifier Jill Craybas.

In matches between unseeded players are on Monday, Slovakian qualifier Henrieta Nagyova outdueled France's Mary Pierce, 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5.

Pierce, who had reached the semifinals here in 1994 and 1999, had been off the WTA Tour since May 2001 with a chronic inflammation of the lumbar spain and missed time this season with an abdominal strain.

Nagyova beat the two-time Grand Slam champion for the first time in three lifetime meetings.

Also, Nathalie Dechy of France rolled over Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-3, 6-1, Amanda Coetzer of South Africa eased past Cara Black of Zimbabwe, 6-2, 6-2. Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand hammered Tina Pisnik of Slovenia, 6-0, 6-1.

A pair of Spaniards reached the second round. Cristina Torrens Valero held off Belgium's Els Callens, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3, and Magui Serna outlasted Paraguay's Rossana Neffa-De Los Rios, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Austria's Barbara Schett rallied past American Marissa Irvin, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, Colombia's Fabiola Zuluaga dismantled Uzbekistan's Iroda Tulyaganova, 6-1, 6-2, and Australia's Nicole Pratt eased past Belarus' Tatiana Poutchek, 6-1, 6-2.

This tournament, which offers a first prize of $182,000, serves as a warmup for the U.S. Open.

Serena Williams, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, is seeded No. 1 as she attempts to defend her crown. She defeated Capriati in last year's final in Montreal and was runner-up here two years ago to Martina Hingis.

Hingis returns to action this week after undergoing surgery to repair torn and damaged ligaments in her left ankle. She has not played since Hamburg in early May, when she reached the semifinals and won the doubles title with Schett.

Williams and Hingis, as well as the rest of the top eight seeds, received first-round byes.