Last year’s French Open quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has reached the second round at Roland Garros after defeating Hungarian veteran Greta Arn on Tuesday.
The Russian prevailed 6-4, 6-4 and will now face another Hungarian in the shape of Melanie Czink, the world No. 116, who knocked out Britain’s Anne Keothavong 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday.
A win against Czink would give Pavlyuchenkova, the 22nd seed, a potential third-round match against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, seeded 16th.
Czink won her only previous meeting with Pavlyuchenkova, a 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3 battle on clay in Fes, Morocco, in 2009.
In other matches Tuesday, Russian No. 1 Maria Sharapova crushed Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-0, 6-0 to set up a second-round match with Ayumi Morita of Japan.
World No. 4 Petra Kvitova booked her place in the second round by beating Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-1, 6-2, while Italian 14th seed Francesca Schiavone beat veteran Japanese player Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 6-1.
Elena Vesnina was a surprise Russian casualty, going down 6-2, 6-4 to British world No. 110 Heather Watson.
