It was a comfortable start for top seed Angelique Kerber in Madrid as the top seed defeated Timea Babos in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
The World No.2 who can reclaim the top ranking if she does well this week broke twice in each set, shrugging off a single Babos break in the first set. The match lasted an hour and twenty minutes, and Kerber remains in a section of the draw that also features Maria Sharapova and Marjana Lucic-Baroni.
Kerber was joined by the in-form eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, as the veteran also recorded a straight sets 6-4, 6-3 win over Yaroslava Shvedova.
American Lauren Davis edged Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig 6-3, 4-6, 7-6. The match lasted just short of two hours and fifty minutes.
Catherine Bellis joined her compatriot Davis in the second round with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over Daria Gavrilova. Fourteenth seed Kristina Mladenovic escaped from jail with a retirement win over Ana Konjuh. Konjuh had won the first set but lost the second and elected to retire injured before play could resume in the third the final score 5-7, 6-3 ret.
Qualifier Donna Vekic was also an early winner as she beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4.
