Eighth seed Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria beat Italy's Silvia Farina Elia 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.

Conchita Martinez's disappointing start to the season continued as she lost 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 to Olga Barabanschikova, who is ranked 179th in the world.

Former Australian Open and French Open Champion Mary Pierce has pulled out of the tournament because of an abdominal strain, the same injury she sustained this time last year at the Australian Open. Whether she will still take part in the Open is still to be confirmed.