Former champion Simona Halep, the number six seed Iga Swiatek and number two seed Barbora Krejcikova were all victorious in straight sets in their Dubai Tennis Championships openers on Monday.
Halep got off to a clinical start in the first round, needing 1 hour and 11 minutes to advance past Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4.
Halep, who won the title here in 2020 but is unseeded in this year's draw, extended her head-to-head lead over Riske to 4-0. Former world number one's next test will either be No.3 seed Paula Badosa or qualifier and Romanian compatriot Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
No.6 seed Iga Swiatek and No.2 seed Barbora Krejcikova both reprised January wins in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Swiatek raced past Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-2 in 65 minutes. Krejcikova edged out wildcard Caroline Garcia 6-4, 7-6(0).
Krejcikova, last year's runner-up to Garbine Muguruza, came through a match in which both players suffered from inconsistency on serve. The Czech's seven aces were outweighed by eight double faults, and she found just 12 winners to 28 unforced errors.
( With inputs from ANI )
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