SHANGHAI: Controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios swept aside Andreas Haider-Maurer in straight sets on Monday to set up a second round clash with Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the Shanghai Masters.

The outspoken Australian, who fired 13 aces and saved all five break points in a 6-3 6-2 win over his Austrian opponent, had no illusions about the task ahead.

“Kei’s one of the best players in the world right now,” said Kyrgios. “He’s got unbelievable returns. He’s a great athlete. He’s playing well. So I know what I have to do.”

Slovak Martin Klizan beat local favorite Zhang Ze 7-6(8) 6-2 and now runs into top seed Novak Djokovic who is gunning for his ninth title of the year.

Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, who prevailed 6-4 7-6(6) over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, also faces a formidable second round opponent in 2009 runner-up Rafa Nadal who lost to Djokovic in Sunday’s China Open final.

American John Isner burnished his big-serving reputation with 20 aces in a 6-1 6-2 romp against Adrian Mannarino, while Roberto Bautista Agut also had it easy against fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez who was beaten 6-2 6-3.

American Steve Johnson cut short Italian Andreas Seppi’s campaign with a 4-6 6-1 7-6(2) win.

Svitolina makes early exit

In Beijing, Elina Svitolina crashed out of the Tianjin Open in the first round Monday, continuing a poor run for the Ukrainian who dropped out of the world top 20 this week.

Svitolina, who reached a career ranking high of 15 after making it to the semifinals in Cincinnati in August, lost to 115-ranked Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-2, 6-4.

At last week’s China Open in Beijing, Svitolina fell in the second round to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

China’s top player and home-crowd favorite Zheng Saisai, seeded eighth in the tournament, also lost in two sets to unseeded Russian Evgeniya Rodina 7-5, 6-3.

Meanwile, fifth seed Kristina Mladenovic took just 46 minutes to downed Liu Fangzhou of China 6-0, 6-1.

Muguruza can ‘keep going higher’

In Hong Kong, seven-time Grand Slam-winner Venus Williams on Monday said Garbine Muguruza can “keep going higher” after she soared to fourth in the world rankings after victory at the China Open.

Williams, 35, beat the 22-year-old Spaniard when she retired from this month’s Wuhan Open title match, but she said the Wimbledon finalist had the talent to keep rising.

“She really has so much talent — she can keep going higher,” Williams told reporters ahead of her campaign at this week’s Hong Kong Open.

The physically imposing Muguruza downed Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-4 in Beijing on Sunday to win the biggest title of her career. Afterwards, she said she had designs on becoming world number one.

However Muguruza, who has also qualified for the year-ending WTA Finals in Singapore later this month, has dropped out of the Hong Kong Open with an ankle injury — clearing a big obstacle for Williams.

The American is currently 11th in the wide-open Road to Singapore rankings, but she still has a chance of reaching the eight-player season finale.

“The field is really deep, there’s a lot of top players but I feel like I have a good opportunity,” Williams said Monday ahead of her first-round match against Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliya Beygelzimer.

Also on Tuesday, world No. 10 Angelique Kerber will take on former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone, and ex-world number one Jelena Jankovic plays Romanian qualifier Ana Bogdan.

Monday’s first-round matches saw Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena, Lee Ya-hsuan of Taiwan and Puerto Rican Monica Puig safely reach the next round.