WTA roundup: Elise Mertens cruises in Singapore

No. 2 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium needed just 55 minutes to beat Taylor Townsend 6-1, 6-0 in first-round action at the Singapore Tennis Open on Tuesday.

Mertens faced six break points but saved them all, while converting 5 of 8 opportunities to break Townsend's serve. Mertens moves on to face Germany's Tatjana Maria, who was a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Ukrainian foe Yuliia Starodubtseva.

No. 5 seed Polina Kudermetova of Russia also played a quick match, but she came out on the losing end as Australian Kimberly Birrell prevailed 6-3, 6-2 in 61 minutes. No. 4 seed Xinyu Wang of China defeated Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, while Olivia Gadecki of Australia upset Japanese eighth seed Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-2.

Other winners Tuesday included American Hailey Baptiste, Russian Maria Timofeeva and Switzerland's Jil Teichmann.

Upper Austria Ladies Linz

Russian sixth seed Anastasia Potapova made quick work of Austrian Julia Grabher, 6-2, 6-2 in 67 minutes during first-round action in Linz, Austria.

Ukrainian fifth seed Dayana Yastremska had a tougher time advancing, but she got past Italy's Lucia Bronzetti 7-6 (6), 7-5, going 6-for-8 in break points saved and 3-for-3 in break points converted along the way. The only other seeded player in action was Denmark's Clara Tauson, the eighth seed, who beat Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-3.

Also moving on were Russia's Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova, Spaniard Sara Sorrives Tormo and Croatians Petra Martic and Antonia Ruzic.