Seventh seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is through to the second round of the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem after victory over Silvia Soler Espinosa on Monday.

In her first appearance since claiming a maiden WTA title at the Katowice Open earlier this month, Schmiedlova maintained her momentum with a 6-4 6-4 success.

Schmiedlova could face Moroccan wildcard Rita Atik in the next round having been given a real test by Soler Espinosa in Monday's straight-set success.

In their first career meeting, the first set saw five breaks of serve in total although, while both tightened up in the second, Schmiedlova's quality proved telling.

Separated by 21 places in the rankings, the match went to form with the Slovakian facing Atik or an as-yet-unknown qualifier next.

The second match of the competition's opening day saw Lara Arruabarrena win through against Kurumi Nara.

Spaniard Arruabarrena will face eighth seed Monica Puig or Alison Van Uytvanck after proving too strong for the world number 52.

Having moved a set ahead, Arruabarrena was forced to fight back from 2-0 down in the second before sealing progress with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 victory.