Sydney - Slovakia's world number six Dominika Cibulkova
dropped just two games in blistering heat to win her opening match at the
Sydney International on Monday.
The diminutive Cibulkova, who upset world number one Angelique
Kerber to win the WTA finals in Singapore last October, swept past Germany's
world number 31 Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-0.
Cibulkova, who lost to China's Li Na in the 2014 Australian
Open final, will next play Canadian wild card Eugenie Bouchard in the second
round of the WTA lead-in tournament to next week's Australian Open.
"When you start a season, you always start with some
confidence, not doubt, but you always need to get into this match rhythm,"
said Cibulkova.
"It's not easy if I would expect myself to play like I
did in the (WTA) final against Kerber, I think that would be too much
expectation.
"This is the time of the year when you just have to
warm up yourself in the matches."
Cibulkova, who lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the Sydney
final four years ago, was knocked out in the quarter-finals of last week's
Brisbane International by France's Alize Cornet in straight sets.
Kerber and Radwanska, the top two seeds, have a bye into the
second round at Sydney.
Former world number one and seventh seed Caroline Wozniacki
dumped Olympic champion and last year's finalist Monica Puig out of the
tournament 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Puig, who lost to Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in last
year's final, had 12 break point opportunities but could only convert three,
while Wozniacki put away three of four break points.
British sixth seed Johanna Konta was too strong for Australian Arina Rodionova 6-3, 6-4 and fellow Australian Sam Stosur again bombed out in the first round, going out 6-3, 6-1 to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
"It was tough conditions out there. I don't really know
what to say," said Stosur, who hasn't won a match in almost five months.
"I don't feel like I played bad. I don't feel like I
played obviously as well as I can. It was just kind of done, and that was
it."
Russian eighth seed Elena Vesnina withdrew with a lower back
injury when trailing American Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 4-0.
In the men's draw, Australian qualifier Matthew Barton eliminated British number two Kyle Edmund 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/5) and will next face either Gilles Muller or Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Results from the second day of the ATP/WTA Tour Sydney International tennis tournament on Monday (x denotes seed):
Women's singles
1st round
Johanna Konta (GBR x6) bt Arina Rodionova (AUS) 6-3, 6-4
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x3) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-2, 6-0
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-3, 7-5
Roberta Vinci (ITA x9) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 6-4, 6-0
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-3, 6-1
Coco Vandeweghe (USA) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS x8) 6-2, 4-0 (retired - back)
Christina McHale (USA) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR x4) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x7) bt Monica Puig (PUR) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Men's singles
1st round
Daniel Evans (GBR) bt Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Matthew Barton (AUS) bt Kyle Edmund (GBR) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5)
Gastao Elias (POR) bt Christopher O'Connell (AUS) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-1