World number one Victoria Azarenka has come out on top against Romania's Irina Camelia Begu in the first round of the women's Olympic singles.
Azarenka, of Belarus, was bullish as usual in the opening set, breaking Begu's serve twice while not offering her opponent a sniff of a break as she won it 6-1.
The second started completely differently, with Begu holding to-love before grabbing her first-break opportunity to move 2-0 ahead.
The Romanian was broken straight back but again she showed resolve in breaking the Azarenka serve to maintain her two-game advantage.
The remainder of the set stayed on serve as Begu levelled the match with a 6-3 success.
Azarenka was not to be denied, however, and romped through the decider 6-1 with three breaks of serve.
The Belarusian faces either Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain or Slovenia's Polona Herlog in the second round.
Pascal Lemesre
