ESPN 2008 US Open

NEW YORK -- Marat Safin and Dinara Safina celebrated a family day at the U.S. Open on Tuesday as the Russian brother and sister each posted first-round wins on a busy day for siblings at the National Tennis Center.

Former champion Safin beat American Vincent Spadea 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Sixth-seeded Safina, the Olympic silver medalist and winner of two hard-court titles this season, eliminated American Kristie Ahn 6-3, 6-4.

Safina has come of age this year with a trip to the French Open final and tournament wins in Los Angeles and at the Rogers Cup. She is a serious contender to follow in her brother's footsteps by taking her first Grand Slam crown here.

"I think this would be my dream come true," the 22-year-old Safina said. "This would be the most amazing thing that can happen."

Besides the Russians, other siblings in singles action on Tuesday included the victorious Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, and sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine, who met with mixed results.

Fourth-seeded Serena Williams, the 1999 and 2002 winner, spoiled the Bondarenko family fun by ousting Kateryna 6-1, 6-4. Seventh seed Venus Williams, champion in 2000 and 2001, joined her in the second round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Australian Samantha Stosur.

Alona Bondarenko, ranked 31st in the world, made sure the day would end on a high for her clan after she beat American wild card Jamea Jackson 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her first-round match.

The flood of family activity at Flushing Meadows meshed perfectly with a nostalgic exhibit in the U.S. Open Gallery at Louis Armstrong Stadium called "Home Court," which traced the relationship of tennis and family across generations of tennis greats.

Safina said she learned many lessons from her older brother, who beat Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open final.

"I would behave like a baby and the crying and all this," she recalled. "He hated it. He was always like, 'Come on. You have to grow up in your mind. You cannot behave like this.'

"When he plays his best, I would take everything that he has: his power, fighting spirit," she said.

The 28-year-old Safin, given to temperamental outbursts on the court, was modest about his influence on his sister.

"I think she's totally ready to win the first Grand Slam," he said. "I think I'm really proud of the way she's handling the pressure and the way she's handling herself.

"I think if she will do everything opposite of what I've been doing throughout the years, she will be No. 1 in the world for a long time. That's as simple as it is," he said.