Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, World No.1, on Sunday started her run to defend the Madrid Open title by crushing Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-0.
Halep, who is seeking her third Madrid title in a row, needed only 51 minutes to beat Makarova, World No.32, reports Efe.
"I think it was a great match. I played really well. Of course, maybe she didn't play her best, but she's always tough to play against. It was a good match and a good start," the WTA website cited Halep as saying after the match.
The top-seeded player earned her fifth win over Makarova in their seventh encounter on the court.
Halep, 26, is to take on the winner of an all-Belgian first round clash pitting Alison Van Uytvanck against Elise Mertens.
--IANS
gau/bg
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