Tennis news - Karolina Pliskova breezes past Czech counterpart Karolina Muchova in first round

The No 7 seed will face either Misaki Doi or the American Madison Brengle next after continuing her perfect start to 2019 in Melbourne.

Pliskova showcased the same form that saw her win a second Brisbane International trophy, requiring just one hour and nine minutes to progress.

The Czech pair exchanged breaks early on before Muchova missed a chance on another break point in the seventh game which proved costly as Pliskova found her rhythm to serve out the opening set.

The former world No 1 raced into a 4-0 lead in the second as Muchova continued to struggle to win many points when facing Pliskova‘s first serve.

Indeed, the two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist restricted her opponent to just six points off her second serve across the two sets as Pliskova sealed victory with her second match point.

"I think I started really well today," she said afterwards on court. "I was feeling great, even in the warm-up!

"I think it's a good start. I'm happy I saved some time on court and didn't have to spend too much time here, but it's always tough to play a Czech girl. I would say I'm lucky because I'm always playing them at every tournament, so I'm happy that I'm through."