Neha got an inkling of what she could expect in the first game of the match, as two stunning forehand winners from her opponent set up a break point, which was duly snapped up. Sunitha hammered on, and the pace of her groundstrokes proved to be a tad unmanageable — it was all Neha could do to keep the ball in the court. The 175-ranked Indian won the first set without the loss of a single game, providing the final finish with a backhand winner.

The second set, too, began with Sunitha picking up where she had left off. Two double faults from Neha certainly didn’t help her increasingly hopeless cause as she began the second set, and found herself a break down within minutes. The advantage soon became a double break, and an unflattering double bagel appeared to be on the cards. Neha managed to avoid that embarrassment, though but Sunitha set up a second-round meeting with Serbia’s Teodora Mircic.