Former world number nine Timea Bacsinszky claimed her first win on the WTA Tour in 15 months in the first round of the Tianjin Open on Tuesday.

The retirement of Danielle Collins after losing the first set 6-3 handed Bacsinszky her first victory at this level since beating Kristina Kucova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2017.

Thigh and hand injuries curtailed the Swiss' previous season and after slipping to 761st in the world this July, she began rebuilding her confidence on the ITF Pro Circuit.

Bacsinszky's next test will be against Misaki Doi, who overcame Yulia Putintseva 6-0 3-6 7-6 (8-6).

A battle between Aryna Sabalenka and Sofia Kenin – the two youngest players in the top 50 – ended in a 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-0 triumph for the former.

Seeds Caroline Garcia (2), Elise Mertens (3), Hsieh Su-wei (5) all advanced in straight sets, but Maria Sakkari (8) went down to Katie Boulter 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.

There were also wins for Jana Cepelova, Barbora Krejcikova and Zhang Yuxuan.