By Adrianna Outlaw | Sunday, October 1, 2017
China Open champions made winning starts in Beijing.
No. 5-seeded Caroline Wozniacki started and finished strong in a 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-1 triumph over China’s Wang Qiang.
Watch: Sharapova Saves Match Point In Beijing
The 2010 China Open champion played consistent baseline tennis, hitting 29 winners against 29 unforced errors in defeating Wang for the second time in three years in Beijing.
Wozniacki, who topped Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to successfully defend her Tokyo title last month, will play the 19th-ranked Russian again in the Beijing second round.
Reigning Beijing champion Agnieszka Radwanska feasted on Carina Witthoeft’s second serve scoring a 7-5, 6-3 victory over the 72nd-ranked German.
The 13th-ranked Radwanska scored her seventh straight win in Beijing advancing to a second-round clash with Zhang Shuai.
Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena surprised seventh-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-1.
Arruabarrena earned her first WTA Tour main-draw victory since she beat Daria Gavrilova on the grass of Eastbourne. The world No. 92 snapped a six-match, main-draw losing streak. She will play another Russian, Daria Kasatkina in round two.
World No. 3 Elina Svitolina swept Chinese wild card Lin Zhu, 6-3, 6-2. Svitolina swatted five aces and did not drop serve.
Svitolina will take on Wuhan finalist Ashleigh Barty next. It’s their third meeting of the season. Svitolina scored a 7-5, 7-6 (8) win over Barty in the Wimbledon first round.
Former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova pumped eight aces sending Carla Suarez Navarro packing, 6-3, 6-4. Pliskova leveled her head-to-head series with the Spaniard at 3-3.
The fourth-ranked Czech will play Andre Petkovic next. Petkovic pounded Kiki Bertens, 6-4, 6-0.
Olympic gold medal doubles champion Ekaterina Makarova stopped American qualifier Jennifer Brady, 6-3, 6-3, setting up an all-Russian second-rounder vs. Maria Sharapova. The five-time Grand Slam champion has won 14 of 15 sets vs. Makarova.
Magdalena Rybarikova dispatched Canadian wild card Genie Bouchard, 6-4, 6-3. Rybarikova meets second-seeded Simona Halep in round two.