Japanese star Naomi Osaka came from a break down in the third set to overcome Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the first round of the WTA Brisbane International on Tuesday.
Sakkari sniffed an upset when she won the second set in a tiebreak then broke Osaka’s opening service game of the third set, but the former world number one dug deep and won 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in a two-hour opening-round clash.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova came back from a poor first set to defeat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, while American qualifier Jennifer Brady downed Russia’s Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova was granted a wildcard into the event but although winning the first set, she eventually succumbed 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3).
Sixth-seeded Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens also progressed after winning in three sets, beating Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Eighth seed Madison Keys served brilliantly in her impressive 6-3, 6-2 win over Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova.
Russian qualifier Liudmila Samsonova caused an upset when she beat former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Samsonova recorded her first victory over a top-30 player with her 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win.
In other matches, Yulia Putinseva of Kazakhstan beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and Estonian Anett Kontaveit overpowered Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4, 6-1.