TOKYO: Former champion Petra Kvitova stormed through her opening match at the Pan Pacific Open on Tuesday, beating American Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-3 in a flurry of swashbuckling winners.
The 26-year-old Czech, twice a Wimbledon winner, had too much firepower for Brengle in a match played under a closed roof due to typhoon rains in Tokyo.
Seventh seed Kvitova will next play Rio Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig of Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia overcame another Czech, Lucie Safarova, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a second-round match with fast-rising Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka.
“I’ve seen her play a few times,” Cibulkova said of Osaka. “She has a powerful serve and it’s always tough playing against these young players — they are fearless and have nothing to lose.”
In other matches, Denmark’s former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki battled to a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.
Elsewhere on a day badly affected by the weather, Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova beat Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6, 6-3 while Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus overcame Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Jankovic marches
Defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia sailed through her opening match at the WTA Guangzhou Open Tuesday, joining German Sabine Lisicki in the second round.
The 31-year-old former world No.1 eased past China’s You Xiaodi 6-2, 6-1, while 2013 Wimbledon finalist Lisicki beat Kwan Yau Ng of Hong Kong 6-2, 6-0.
China’s Peng Shuai beat compatriot and eighth seed Zheng Saisai 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and is scheduled to face Lisicki in the next round.
Jankovic will be confronting 21-year-old Swede Rebecca Peterson, listed as 124th in the WTA rankings.
Twenty-year-old Estonian Anett Kontaveit made a strong showing, knocking out seventh seed Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 54 minutes.
Begu sails
In Seoul, top seed Irina-Camelia Begu on Tuesday sailed into the Korea Open second round with an overwhelming win over South Korean wildcard entrant Jang Su-Jeong.
The 26-year-old Romanian, who is the world 23 and has won two titles at the Korea Open, ousted 186th-ranked Jang 6-2, 6-1 in 71 minutes in Seoul.
Begu is seeking redemption after suffering four consecutive first-round exits, including the Rio Olympics and the US Open, since winning the title at the WTA Florianopolis in July.
Begu will next play Jana Cepelova from Slovakia.
Second-seeded Johanna Larsson of Sweden defeated Grace Min of the US 0-6, 6-2, 6-2.
The 26-year-old Czech, twice a Wimbledon winner, had too much firepower for Brengle in a match played under a closed roof due to typhoon rains in Tokyo.
Seventh seed Kvitova will next play Rio Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig of Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia overcame another Czech, Lucie Safarova, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a second-round match with fast-rising Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka.
“I’ve seen her play a few times,” Cibulkova said of Osaka. “She has a powerful serve and it’s always tough playing against these young players — they are fearless and have nothing to lose.”
In other matches, Denmark’s former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki battled to a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.
Elsewhere on a day badly affected by the weather, Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova beat Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6, 6-3 while Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus overcame Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Jankovic marches
Defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia sailed through her opening match at the WTA Guangzhou Open Tuesday, joining German Sabine Lisicki in the second round.
The 31-year-old former world No.1 eased past China’s You Xiaodi 6-2, 6-1, while 2013 Wimbledon finalist Lisicki beat Kwan Yau Ng of Hong Kong 6-2, 6-0.
China’s Peng Shuai beat compatriot and eighth seed Zheng Saisai 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and is scheduled to face Lisicki in the next round.
Jankovic will be confronting 21-year-old Swede Rebecca Peterson, listed as 124th in the WTA rankings.
Twenty-year-old Estonian Anett Kontaveit made a strong showing, knocking out seventh seed Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 54 minutes.
Begu sails
In Seoul, top seed Irina-Camelia Begu on Tuesday sailed into the Korea Open second round with an overwhelming win over South Korean wildcard entrant Jang Su-Jeong.
The 26-year-old Romanian, who is the world 23 and has won two titles at the Korea Open, ousted 186th-ranked Jang 6-2, 6-1 in 71 minutes in Seoul.
Begu is seeking redemption after suffering four consecutive first-round exits, including the Rio Olympics and the US Open, since winning the title at the WTA Florianopolis in July.
Begu will next play Jana Cepelova from Slovakia.
Second-seeded Johanna Larsson of Sweden defeated Grace Min of the US 0-6, 6-2, 6-2.
