Badosa makes smooth start as Ostrava Open begins
Paula Badosa got her campaign off to a winning start as the Ostrava Open began on Tuesday (AEST).
Iga Swiatek, Petra Kvitova, Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari are among the top names at the WTA 500 event, though they are all yet to begin their campaigns.
World number 27 Badosa was the only seed in action, and she started her week in smooth fashion with a 6-2 6-2 triumph over Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva.
In a dominant performance, Badosa did not even concede a break point as she triumphed in 73 minutes to gain some revenge for her defeat to Gracheva at the US Open earlier this month.
Fellow Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo joined Badosa in claiming a first-round victory, though she had to work much harder to see off Anastasia Zakharova.
While Sorribes Tormo triumphed 6-3 6-3, she was given a stern examination by Zakharova, who forced nine break points in the contest but paid the price for converting just two.
The prize for Sorribes Tormos is a testing last-16 tie against Olympic gold medallist Bencic.
Caroline Garcia, meanwhile, was a day one casualty as she lost in straight sets to Anastasia Potapova.
Potapova will now take on two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, who will be playing in front of her home fans in the Czech Republic.
