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Auckland - Caroline Wozniacki began her warm up for her Australian Open title defence with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win over Laura Siegemund in the first round of the WTA Auckland Classic on Wednesday.
With tournament sixth seed Venus Williams an interested spectator, top-seed Wozniacki gave herself a pass mark against German qualifier Siegemund and declared the signs were good.
The 28-year-old Dane, the runner up in Auckland last year on her way to winning in Melbourne, said she was looking forward to meeting Williams in the Auckland quarter-finals if both get through their second round matches on Thursday.
"I know how she is playing, and she has been playing well, apparently, so I know she is ready," Wozniacki said. "Let's hope we both get there."
Against Siegemund, Wozniacki broke in the fourth game of the first set and mostly controlled the match from there apart from dropping her service once in the second set.
"I was a bit rusty out there. Playing my first match it definitely wasn't my prettiest match but I just tried to hang in there, and tried to serve well and hit a lot of balls back and tomorrow's going to be better," she said.
"I'm just so happy I'm back here and warming up in the same way and hopefully that will lead me to also having good luck in Australia this year."
Wozniacki will play Canadian qualifier Bianca Andreescu in the second round while Williams plays fellow American Lauren Davis.
Canadian Eugenie Bouchard's comeback was almost derailed in an error-filled encounter with the 30-year-old Dutch journeywoman Bibiane Schoofs.
Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist, dropped her serve seven times but still managed to beat Schoofs 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4 to set up a quarter-final clash with defending champion Julia Goerges.
Goerges, who did not get on court until after 10:00pm, raced through her match against fellow German Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-4.
Tournament seventh seed Kirsten Flipkens was stopped in the second round by Spain's 22-year-old Sara Sorribes Tormo, losing 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 with Sorribes Tormo moving on to play Hsieh Sui-Wei in the quarter-finals.
Results from day three of the WTA Auckland Classic tennis tournament on Wednesday (x denotes seed):
1st round
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-3, 6-2
2nd round
Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL x7) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE x3) bt Monica Puig (PUR) 6-1, 7-6 (7/3)
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Bibiane Schoofs (NED) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4
Julia Goerges (GER x2) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-4, 6-4
