Iga Swiatek overcomes Sara Sorribes Tormo, Caroline Garcia beats Kateryna Baindl in China Open first round

Iga Swiatek overcame Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4 6-3 in the China Open first round, going some way to bounce back from an early exit in Tokyo last week.

It may have been a comprehensive win in the end but Swiatek was kept on her toes throughout.

Sorribes Tormo staved off two break points in the third game but soon cracked on serve, only to hit back immediately to draw level at 3-3 in the first set.

Breaks of serve began to become a theme of this contest as Swiatek opened up a 4-3 lead, with the world No. 2 soon wrapping up the set.

Both players were allergic to their own serves in the second set, with the Spaniard unable to claim a single hold.

In fact, only one game via the way of serve, which crucially went to Swiatek, and was ultimately crucial in securing her a place in the next round.

She will now go onto face the Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva in a second round tie on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Caroline Garcia powered past Kateryna Baindl with a 6-2 6-4 victory.

Garcia broke through the Ukrainian’s serve in the second game and from that moment on, it was pretty straightforward for the Frenchwoman as she raced to the opening set.

The first six games of the second all went by the way of serve. Garcia was broken in the seventh game, but hit back immediately and soon cracked her opponent again to book a a second-round tie against Yulia Putintseva on Tuesday.