Eastbourne International: Caroline Wozniacki strolls past Kirsten Flipkens; Karolina Pliskova enters third round

Eastbourne: Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki started her grasscourt season brightly, while top remaining seed Karolina Pliskova moved into round three at Eastbourne on Monday.

Newly crowned World No 1 Ashleigh Barty withdrew from the Wimbledon tune-up due to an arm injury after her efforts in winning the Birmingham Classic on Sunday.

That means world number three Pliskova is the highest-ranked player in the draw and she became the first player into the last-16 with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan.

Wozniacki, seeded 11th, was also a comfortable winner in the first round as the Dane dispatched Kirsten Flipkens 6-3, 6-4.

“I love playing here, it brings back great memories for me,” said Wozniacki, who also won at Eastbourne in 2009.

“I was here for the first time when I was 14, so that’s basically half of my life.”

Wozniacki faces German Andrea Petkovic in round two.