It was a bad day for former champions at the Hobart International, with both Alize Cornet and Mona Barthel bundled out in the opening round.
Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu eliminated Cornet, the 2016 champion, 6-2 6-4 in an 83-minute Centre Court showdown.
“I never got the chance to really find my rhythm,” No.4-seeded Cornet lamented. “When I got some chances, I didn’t really make them.
“I’m really sad to be out of the tournament already.”
A quad injury hampered the Frenchwoman’s movement throughout the match, causing her to break down in tears in frustration. Yet post-match she refused to blame the injury.
“Mihaela was playing very good and making me run all over the court,” she said.
“Small injuries are part of our everyday life and we have to deal with it. I need to trust my body more.”
Contesting her first Hobart International, Buzarnescu was thrilled with her performance.
“It was a really good win for me. I played really well. I knew it would be a tough match, so I was just trying to focus as much as possible and play my game,” she said.
“I’m happy to be able to make it through.”
American Varvara Lepchenko also made a winning debut, scoring a 6-0 7-6(4) victory over 2012 champion Barthel.
It wasn’t all bad news for former champions though, with 2015 winner Heather Watson earning a main draw place with a 4-6 7-5 6-3 victory over Japan’s Nao Hibino in the final qualifying round.
Last year’s finalist Monica Niculescu also qualified for the main draw, along with Kirsten Flipkens, Alison Van Uytvanck, Nina Stojanovic and Kurumi Nara.