ATP / WTA wrap: Simon, Shuai up and running

The first Monday of a 250 / 500 week is always a curious affair. First round matches are smattered around, qualifying sometimes draws to a conclusion, and every now and again a seed makes a fleeting appearance.

ATP Hamburg: Simon survives opener

Gilles Simon was forced to dig deep against wildcard Maximilian Marterer, the fourth seed coming through 6-2 4-6 6-4 in just over two hours. Simon was one of three seeds in opening day action, with Benoit Paire securing a comfortable 6-3 6-2 win over Dmitry Tursunov, and Diego Schwartzman easing past Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-2 6-3.

WTA Nanchang: Peng Shuai wows home fans

In a field largely dominated by local favourites, Peng Shuai shone brightest in her win over Japan’s Kurumi Nara. The world No.30, second seed at the event, needed two hours 43 minutes to secure a 7-5 4-6 6-3 win.

RELATED: Matt Ebden & the power of perseverance

Elsewhere, wildcard Saisai Zheng was stunned 2-6 6-2 6-0 by qualifier Eri Hozumi; fourth seed Qiang Wang was a 6-4 6-1 winner over Harriet Dart; Su-Wei Hsieh was a 6-3 7-6(4) winner over Xinyu Gao; and Nao Hibino downed Kai-Lin Zhang 6-2 3-6 6-3.

ATP Gstaad: Istomin up and running

In lieu of any seeded players, the first round of Gstaad got off to a low-key start with just four matches scheduled. Denis Istomin, conqueror of Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, was the most notable victor, easing past Lorenzo Giustino 6-3 6-2 in 54 minutes. Norbert Gombos was a 7-6(8) 6-2 winner against Taro Daniel, while Facundo Bagnis suffered a surprise 6-3 6-7(3) 6-4 defeat against qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

WTA Bastad: Sevastova off to winning start

A late finish to qualifying meant that only two main draw matches were scheduled for the opening day of WTA action. Second seed Anastasija Sevastova made short work of Anna Blinkova, dismissing the Russian 6-3 6-1 in under an hour. Meanwhile Sara Errani survived an epic first set tiebreak to down Tamara Korpatsch 7-6(11) 6-2.