Fifth seed Anastasija Sevastova is up against Alize Cornet in round two of the WTA Monterrey Open

Anastasija Sevastova got her WTA Monterrey campaign underway with a confident 6-2, 6-4 victory against Spanish qualifier Laura Pous-Tio. The Latvian appears to be one of this week’s main contenders for the title, but is set for a tricky second round clash against Alize Cornet in round two.

Cornet began her challenge here in Monterrey with an impressive 7-5, 6-1 dismissal of Simona Halep. The pundits had been expecting a close match between the two youngsters, but Cornet took control of the contest at the beginning of the second set, and Halep was unable to respond.

Sevastova and Cornet have a 1-1 head to head record. Cornet beat Sevastova in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) in 2009, but Sevastova was able to avenge the defeat in this very tournament last season (2-6, 7-5, 6-1).