Shenzhen Open: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka off to winning start; Garbine Muguruza fights back from set down to progress

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka started her 2020 season in style with a 6-3 6-0 victory over Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan in the first round of the Shenzhen Open on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_5906641” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Aryna Sabalenka. AP[/caption] The Belarusian — who also won titles in Wuhan and Zhuhai last year — needed only 71 minutes to wrap up the contest, breaking Gasparyan five times on centre court to advance to the last 16. “I’m happy to start my season with a two-set win. It was a tough match and really tough to start. She’s a great player and it was tough to play against her. She has strong strokes,” she said in her post-match interview. Sabalenka will next face the Czech Republic’s Kristyna Pliskova, who beat Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3 6-3. Sixth seed Garbine Muguruza fought back to beat China’s Wang Xin Yu 3-6 6-3 6-0 while Aliaksandra Sasnovich advanced with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam. In a battle between two Americans, Shelby Rogers beat Nicole Gibbs 6-3 5-7 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours and 33 minutes while fourth seed and local hope Wang Qiang got the better of Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-3. Seventh seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat China’s Zheng Saisai 6-2 1-6 6-2.