Kuznetsova, who had a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-5 win over Alisa Kleybanova, said after the match that the WTA Tour should give players some guidance after Ekaterina Bychkova was handed a 30-day ban for failing to report an offer to influence the outcome of a match.
On Friday, the Tennis Integrity Unit fined Bychkova $5,000 and barred the Russian from playing for 30 days, saying she failed to report that she was asked to provide inside information and throw matches.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad hereAn anti-corruption hearing officer said there was no evidence Bychkova accepted any compensation. She was penalized because she didn't disclose the offer until being questioned by investigators from the Tennis Integrity Unit, which was formed by the Grand Slam committee, International Tennis Federation, and the ATP and WTA Tours.
"When they told me I was really surprised because I have not heard about it," Kuznetsova said Sunday. "I don't know exactly what has happened with her and I will ask and find out more.
"It is very important to find out. I don't know if I have to go and see someone if someone comes and asks me something because no one has told me what to do."
Asked if she had ever been offered the opportunity to influence a game, Kuznetsova laughed about being put on a plane back to Moscow if she did admit to it, but said the issue is a serious concern for all players.
"If you have been approached before and now come forward and tell them will they ban you?," she said. "And if you don't come forward will they ban you? We need to be clear. How do you know if someone approaches me and it is a joke?
"Do I have to tell the WTA every time I get told a joke? They can send you a letter, fan mail, Facebook and you may not pay much attention to it and maybe it is people trying to catch you and doing it on purpose. It could happen and you could be not guilty."
Defending champion Elena Dementieva also said she was unaware that players have to report approaches from people offering cash to influence games.
"I didn't know but I do now, not that it matters because I have never experienced anything like that in my career," said Dementieva, who beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-2, 7-5.
Dementieva will face Daniela Hantuchova in the second round after the unseeded Slovakian player beat Virginie Razzano of France 6-3, 6-0.
Only three first-round women's matches were scheduled Sunday in the joint ATP-WTA tournament. Top-seeded Serena Williams, who has a first-round bye, is expected to play her first singles match on Tuesday.
Williams was drawn for a potential second-round match against Justine Henin, but Henin injured her left leg in a Brisbane International final loss to fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters on Saturday and had to pull out of the Sydney event.
Henin, playing in her first official tournament in 20 months, said she'd strained her upper left leg earlier in the week and aggravated it in the Brisbane final.
"It was a bit sore in the last few days and really got worse today in the third set," Henin said after her 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (6) loss to U.S. Open champion Clijsters.
"I hope it's not that serious and that I'm going to be able to recover soon, but it would be just a great, great mistake to go and play in Sydney."
The top four men's seeded players in Sydney, including top-seeded Gael Monfils of France and second-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, also had first-round byes.
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