It was smooth sailing for some of the big names in the opening round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday.
Former champion Simona Halep defeated Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4 and 2013 winner Petra Kvitova crushed Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-0.
Second seed Barbora Krejcikova and No. 6 seed Iga Swiatek also registered straight-set victories.
Krejcikova edged out wildcard Caroline Garcia 6-4, 7-6, while Swiatek raced past Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-2 in 65 minutes.
Elsewhere, an all-American first-round derby between two of last year's quarterfinalists saw Jessica Pegula progress 6-4, 6-4 past Coco Gauff.
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