Australia's Daria Gavrilova has begun her China Open campaign with a straight-sets win in the first round in Beijing.
She might need to keep winning as she finds her Fed Cup teammate Ash Barty hot on her tail for the Australian No.1 women's tennis ranking after the Queenslander's outstanding run at the Wuhan Open.
The Melbourne world No.22 has made a good start in Beijing, outlasting a solid fight by Estonia's Anett Kontaveit to win 7-5 7-5.
She will face Croatia's Donna Vekic or 14th-seeded American and US Open runner-up Coco Vandeweghe in the second round.
Barty is projected to soar to No.23 on the WTA computer rankings after four top-15 wins this week in Wuhan, including former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova.
Beijing organisers have granted the 21-year-old Australian a first-round bye to give her a little extra time to recover.
For Gavrilova, it is a welcome return to the winners' list after losing to a qualifier last week in the Pan Pacific Open first round in Tokyo.
She lost a tight three-setter to American Shelby Rogers in the US Open's second round earlier in the month, when she was expected to push deeper after winning her maiden WTA singles title in New Haven.
In other early results in Beijing, 10th seed and former world No.1 Angelique Kerber beat Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-2 7-5. Osaka is coached by Samantha Stosur's former mentor David Taylor.
It was the third time the pair had met in a month.
Osaka put an end to Kerber's title defence at the US Open in New York before the German took some revenge a fortnight ago at Osaka's home event in Tokyo.
Czech 12th seed Petra Kvitova beat compatriot Kristyna Pliskova 6-3 7-5 in the battle of the left-handers.
