Shanghai, Jan 6 (AFP) Former world number one Garbine Muguruza recovered from a slow start to avoid an upset at the Shenzhen Open on Monday.

The 26-year-old Spaniard beat Chinese youngster Wang Xinyu 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 and plays the American Shelby Rogers in round two in southern China.

The Shenzhen Open serves as build-up for the Australian Open at the end of the month.

It was the two-time Grand Slam winner Muguruza's first match since an early exit at the China Open in late September.

"I think it was my first match in a long time and you cannot expect to play your best tennis," said Muguruza, now 35th in the world.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka made a fast start to her season, blowing away Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan in just 71 minutes.

The world number 11 from Belarus eased to a 6-3, 6-0 victory as she looks to seal a place inside the top 10 for the Australian Open.

The 21-year-old will play Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic next.

"It was a tough match and really tough to start," said the powerful Sabalenka, who won three titles last year in China, including in Shenzhen.

"She's a great player and it was tough to play against her. She has strong strokes. I tried my best and I'm happy I finished with the win."

Gasparyan, 25, reached a career-high 41 in the world in February 2016 but has been beset by injuries. (AFP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)