Slovakia's Cibulkova dominates Sydney International
Slovakia's world number six Dominika Cibulkova dropped just two games in blistering heat to win her opening match at the Sydney International, Monday.
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Cibulkova, who upset world number one Angelique Kerber to win the WTA finals in Singapore last October, swept past Germany's world number 31 Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-0.
Cibulkova will next play Canadian wild card Eugenie Bouchard in the second round of the WTA lead-in tournament to next week's Australian Open.
"When you start a season, you always start with some confidence, not doubt, but you always need to get into this match rhythm," said Cibulkova. "It's not easy if I would expect myself to play like I did in the (WTA) final against Kerber, I think that would be too much expectation."
Cibulkova, who lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the Sydney final four years ago, was knocked out in the quarter-finals of last week's Brisbane International by France's Alize Cornet in straight sets.
Kerber and Radwanska, the top two seeds, have a bye into the second round at Sydney.
Former world number one and seventh seed Caroline Wozniacki dumped Olympic champion and last year's finalist Monica Puig out of the tournament 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Meanwhile, British sixth seed Johanna Konta was too strong for Australian Arina Rodionova 6-3, 6-4 and fellow Australian Samantha Stosur again bombed out in the first round, going out 6-3, 6-1 to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Russian eighth seed Elena Vesnina withdrew with a lower back injury when trailing American Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 4-0.
In the men's draw, Australian qualifier Matthew Barton eliminated British number two Kyle Edmund 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/5) and will next face either Gilles Muller or Alexandr Dolgopolov.
German fifth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber ousted Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-4 and Italian Paolo Lorenzi needed two tiebreakers to overcome German Florian Mayer 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5).
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