Caroline Wozniacki ends losing run in Tokyo

Caroline Wozniacki discovered some of the form that took her to the US Open semi-finals in defeating 2015 runner-up Belinda Bencic in the opening round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open In Tokyo.

Wozniacki, who won the title six years ago, raced through the first set and led 5-2 in the second only to falter with the winning line in sight but re-gained her composure in time to close out a 6-2 5-7 6-1 victory which ended a run of four straight defeats against her Swiss opponent.

Wozniacki's second-round opponent will be fourth seed Carla Suarez Navarro while sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova came from a set down to beat Lucie Safarova 4-6 6-1 7-5 to set up a clash with 18-year-old wildcard Naomi Osaka, Japan's number two and hometown favourite.

The 2013 champion Petra Kvitova is also through thanks to a 6-3 6-3 victory over American Madison Brengle and wil l take on Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig next for a place in the quarter-finals.

Secon d seed Jelena Jankovic made a confident start to her defence of the Guangzhou International Women's Open in China with a 6-2 6-1 rout of hometown hopeful You Xiaodi.

Playing her first tournament since the US Open, Jankovic lost just five points behind her first serve and will next play Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, who dispatched wildcard and former number one junior Xu Shilin 6-3 6-1.

Sabine Lisicki triumphed over lucky loser Kwan Yau Ng 6-2 6-0 and t op seed Sara Errani came from behind to beat China's Han Xinyun 4-6 7-5 7-6 (10-8) , while Christina McHale, who won her maiden WTA Tour title at the weekend, was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a shoulder injury.

Top seed and defending champion Irina-Camelia Begu made a confident start to the Korea Open in Seoul, beating wildcard Jang Su Jeong 6-2 6-1 in little over an hour.

Second seed Johanna Larsson recovered from a disastrous start to see off Grace Min 0-6 6-2 6-2, while Kirsten Flipkens was forced to work hard to see off Kristyna Pliskova 5-7 6-2 6-2.