MOSCOW: Fifth-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova started her Kremlin Cup campaign with a win on Tuesday, beating 16-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh 6-3, 6-4.

Pavlyuchenkova, the world No. 30, will now meet either Alison Riske of the United States or fellow Russian Daria Kasatkina, a wild card entrant, in the second round.

Palvyuchenkova is chasing her second WTA title of the year after winning the Open GDF Suez in Paris in February.

There was an upset earlier when France’s Caroline Garcia, seeded eighth, lost 6-4, 6-2 to Moscow-born Serbian Aleksandra Krunic, who is ranked 73 places below her in 109th.

In the men’s draw, US Open champion Marin Cilic, seeded second, will face Evgeny Donskoy in the second round after the Russian wild card beat Israeli Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-0.

Karlovic strikes 29 aces

In Vienna, Austria, Ivo Karlovic out-aced and out-fought Federico Delbonis on Tuesday in a gruelling two-hour and 26-minute duel at the Erste Bank Open.

Karlovic struck 29 aces past Delbonis, who hit 13 aces, in a 6-7(1), 7-6(9), 7-6(2) first-round victory that had no break point opportunities. The giant Croatian has now hit 1049 aces in 57 matches this year according to ATP MatchFacts. He will next face 2009-2010 champion Jurgen Melzer or Norbert Gombos.

Third seed Feliciano Lopez will meet Thomaz Bellucci in the second round. Bellucci won the clash of Vienna debutants Tuesday by beating Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1, 6-4. Lopez is appearing at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament having reached the semifinals at last week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters, which thrust him up to No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

Jan-Lennard Struff saved all three break points he faced to knock out seventh seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-4.