Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina defeated Australian qualifier Destany Ayawa (ranked 194th by WTA) in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1). Rybakina will next face France’s Jessica Ponchet (143rd WTA) in the second round.
Meanwhile, Yulia Putintseva, ranked 32nd in the world, secured a strong victory over 25th-ranked Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic. Putintseva triumphed 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in a hard-fought match. Noskova had recently won the WTA-500 tournament in Monterrey. In the second round, Putintseva will compete against Wang Xinyu from China, ranked 40th by WTA.
Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov also put up a valiant effort in his match against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, ranked seventh in the world. Despite a strong showing, Skatov was defeated in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3).
