ASB Classic organisers can breathe a sigh of relief, with American top seed Madison Keys successfully navigating through the opening round on Tuesday afternoon.
Ranked 21st in the world, Keys needed 1h 31m to dispatch Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-4 6-4 on Auckland centrecourt and was made to work hard during a second set that wavered one way and then the other.
The former US Open finalist broke service just once in the first set, but fell behind 3-1 in the second, after losing her serve, breaking back, but losing it again in successive games. She won the next three games to wrest back momentum, but needed three chances at 5-4 to break again for the match.
"Definitely happy getting a win," she reflected. "It's never easy to start the year... we all come out a little bit nervous.
"It's so much fun to be out here. I haven't been her for 10 years, so I'm happy to be back, happy to get the win and happy to come back out tomorrow.
"I definitely think I had some more opportunities in the first set, but just getting breakpoints and finally converting one felt pretty good. She's such a tough opponents and especially in conditions like this, she gets so many balls."
With big names falling early, Keys' survival — along with former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin — becomes more important to the success of the event.
Russian-born American Kenin took 1h 28m to account for Chinese Xiyu Wang 7-6(5) 6-1 in Tuesday's first match on centrecourt for Tuesday, earning an encounter against Danish fifth seed Clara Tauson at the next stage.
Once ranked as high as fourth in the world, Kenin took out the Melbourne Grand Slam in 2020 and reached the French Open final later that same year, but has tumbled to a current standing of 81st, out of the seedings for the Auckland event.
In three previous visits to New Zealand, her best result was a quarterfinal exit to top seed Caroline Wozniacki in 2018, but her latest result suggests she is capable of better this time. Wang reached the tournament semis earlier this year, before falling to eventual runner-up Elina Svitolina.
Kenin's progress coincided with the news that Belgian second seed Elise Mertens and British sixth seed Emma Raducanu had both withdrawn from the draw with injuries, while Kiwi fourth seed Lulu Sun and American former champion Sloane Stephens were ousted on the opening day's play.
The absences of Mertens and Raducanu saw the Tuesday schedule revised, with Keys and third-seeded countrywoman Amanda Anisimova making their first appearances on centrecourt.
Meanwhile, Romanian Jaqueline Cristian has advanced past Ukrainain Yuliia Starodubtseva, who retired injured during their second set on the outside courts. Cristian had taken the first set 6-3.
American Hailey Baptiste overcame Renata Jamrichova 6-0 6-2, while Kiwis Monique Barry and Jade Otway remained alive in doubles, defeating Georgian Oksana Kalashnikova and Japanese Nao Hibino 6-3 3-6 10-4.
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