Top seed Alisa Kleybanova from Russia, 2008 winner Alize Cornet from France, and 2009 finalist Patty Schnyder from Switzerland all made it into the second round of the GDF Suez Grand Prix women's clay court tennis tournament on Tuesday.
Kleybanova and Schnyder had straight set victories over Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan and Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine respectively. Cornet, however, had to come from behind against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic eventually taking the deciding set to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
The title holder and seventh seed Hungary's Agnes Szavay comfortably beat Croatian Jelena Kostanic Tosic 6-3, 6-2. Szavay will play Yvonne Meusburger in the second round who beat Slovakian Michaela Pochabova 6-4, 7-5.
Third seed Anabel Medina Garrigues from Spain lost the first set against Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru but recovered to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, and will play Hungary's Greta Arn in the second round.
Romania's remaining hopeful and second seed Alexandra Dulgheru beat Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3. In an all-Slovenian battle, eighth seed Polona Hercog beat Andreja Klepac 6-1, 6-2.
Sixth seed Roberta Vinci from Italy won in straight sets against her compatriot and 2000 winner Tathiana Garbin and will play qualifier Zuzana Ondraskova of the Czech Republic in the final 16. The Czech surprised the 2007 finalist Sorana Cirstea from Romania in the first round, winning 6-4, 6-2.
The Latvian Anastasija Sevastova beat Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus in three sets 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 and will play China's Peng Shuai in the second round.