Svitolina defeats Cornet, reaches Madrid Open 2nd round

Madrid, May 5 (IANS) Fourth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine on Saturday started her run at the Madrid Open in an auspicious fashion, defeating Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.

During the 71-minute contest, Svitolina managed to break her rival's serve five times, earning her third win over the French player in their fifth encounter, reports Efe news agency.

World No. 4 Svitolina is seeking her third title in 2018, and is to take on either Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro or the Czech Republic's Barbora Strycova.

The 23-year-old Svitolina, who won the Brisbane International and the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year, failed to advance beyond the second round in her four previous tournament appearances.