Garbine Muguruza struggled to close out the contest but reached the second round of the Australian Open comfortably enough with a 6-3 6-4 victory over feisty young Frenchwoman Clara Burel on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
It was the perfect start to the fortnight for the third seed, enough of a challenge to get into the rhythm of the tournament but never any question that she would get through it.
"It felt very good," said the former Wimbledon and French Open champion.
"I didn't know really who I was facing, we've never played before. She was very tricky."
Burel showed plenty of fight and managed to break Muguruza in the opening set, but her own serve was brittle and 12 double faults dug a hole she was always going to struggle to get out of.
The tall Spaniard, who has never lost a first round match in 10 visits to Melbourne Park, came into the net to great effect to go a set and a break up but was broken again when serving for the match.
The 28-year-old broke Burel for a fifth time in the next game to get the job done and moves on to a contest with another Frenchwoman, Alize Cornet.
After losing to Sofia Kenin in the final two years ago, Muguruza took eventual champion Naomi Osaka to three sets in the fourth round last year.
Unless Emma Raducanu reprises her fairytale run at last year's US Open, Muguruza has a reasonably straightforward path to the fourth round, where she could meet another former Melbourne Park finalist in Simona Halep.
"You're always nervous going out there on Rod Laver, which I love, and starting a Grand Slam campaign," she added. "I'm very happy the way I played and, of course, controlling the nerves."
In other action, US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez lost 6-4 6-2 to local wildcard Madison Inglis to continue her run of first-round exits at Melbourne Park.
Fernandez had exited the hardcourt major without a win in her two previous appearances but the world No. 24 would have hoped to get past the first obstacle this time around against her 133rd ranked opponent, whom she beat in both prior meetings.
But Inglis seized the advantage with a break in the seventh game to take the opening set and then opened up a 4-0 lead in the second with a double break.
The 19-year-old Canadian, who accumulated 30 unforced errors, had two of her three breakpoint opportunities in the sixth game of the second set but failed to convert, as Inglis stayed solid to secure victory on her third match point.
It was the first Grand Slam main draw win at the fifth attempt for the 24-year-old from Perth.
Earlier, former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was ousted by Sorana Cirstea for the second successive year at Melbourne Park, the Romanian veteran easing to a 6-2 6-2 victory on John Cain Arena.
Kvitova said she was unsurprised at bowing in the opening round on Tuesday after a difficult month 'down under'.
"I don't think I have much to say," said Kvitova. "It wasn't really going my way the whole month. That's how it is. It's a sport and I just have to fight through and be better at it."
The 20th seed, who lost to Naomi Osaka in the final three years ago, entered two warm-up tournaments but ended up playing only three matches, after early exits in Adelaide and Sydney.
"I didn't play a lot of matches at the beginning of this year," she added.
"I did have some health issues the whole month as well, so it was tough to practice. It wasn't really easy this beginning of the season, but the season is long, so I hope that it will turnaround."
Reuters.
