Former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova and fifth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia crashed out on the opening day of the ATP-WTA Adelaide International on Monday after suffering defeats at the hands of qualifiers.
Czech fourth seed Krejcikova lost to Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 while Brazil's Haddad Maia went down against another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-4.
"It was a great match, she's a very good fighter," the 75th-ranked Kalinskaya said of Krejcikova, who was featuring in her first match of the season ahead of the Australian Open.
"She made the match very complicated. I'm happy I won, I'm playing better tennis every day."
Kalinskaya, who took nearly three hours to beat her opponent, will face the winner between American Claire Liu and Russian world number 15 Daria Kasatkina.
The 59th-ranked Pavlyuchenkova, who was defeated by Krejcikova in the 2021 French Open final, moved ahead with 29 winners, breaking Haddad Maia three times.
"I tried to follow my game plan. She's a fighter and if you give her a chance to come back, she will," said Pavlyuchenkova.
She will next play either big-serving Karolina Pliskova or 49th-ranked Katerina Siniakova.
Top seed Elena Rybakina, who defeated reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka to clinch the Brisbane International on Sunday, had a first-round bye.
Her round of 16 clash will be against Cristina Bucsa after the Spaniard defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-3.