DOHA: Defending champion Petra Kvitova on Monday opened her campaign in the WTA Qatar Open on a confident note by winning the first round at the Khalifa International Complex.
Kvitova, ranked 21st in the world, beat Romania’s 31-year-old Irina Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-1 in a first round match that lasted 55 minutes.
Kvitova won 82 percent of points behind her fearsome first serve and converted five of her six break points on the day.
The 31-year-old, who won her first title in Qatar in 2018, will face Belgium’s Elise Mertens, ranked 26th in the world. Elise overcame Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 2-6 and 7-5.
No.5 seed Garbine Muguruza, last year’s runner-up, survived a tough first set against Sorana Cirstea of Romania before easing to a 7-6(4), 6-1 second-round win in an hour and 27 minutes.
Muguruza is now 13-6 in Doha throughout her career. The former World No.1 has twice reached the final, in 2018 and last year. In both of those finals, she was defeated by Kvitova.
Kvitova will hope to retain her title for the second year in a row in Qatar. Only Russia’s Anastasia Myskina (2003 and 2004) and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (2012 and 2013) have done so before her.
