Many of the elite contenders contested their opening matches at the Mutua Madrilena Open in Madrid on Sunday.  Foremost among them were last year's finalists, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.  Those two women have dominated the clay season over the last two years, so they entered Madrid high on the list of title favorites.

Both Williams and Sharapova delivered imposing statements to start their 2014 campaigns in the Spanish capital, dropping just three games apiece.  Two-time defending champion Williams faced an intriguing encounter with Belinda Bencic, a Swiss teenager who seems destined for the top.  Bencic had reached her first WTA semifinal in Charleston last month, and she built on that success to advance through the Madrid qualifiing draw.  But the 58-minute mismatch between the junior No. 1 and the WTA No. 1 offered a stark reminder of how far Bencic still needs to travel.  Serena hammered 11 aces and capitalized on her opponent's meager first-serve percentage to break serve five times.

At just 17 but already inside the top 100, Bencic could write off this rout as a learning experience from which she can benefit in the long term.  That was less true of WTA veteran Klara Koukalova (formerly Zakopalova), who held serve just once against Sharapova in a disappointingly listless effort.  At Roland Garros in 2012, Koukalova's persistence made her the only player to win a set from Sharapova throughout the fortnight.  Lacking that trait, however, she had no weapons to fluster the Russian.

Two one-time major champions also advanced on Sunday in Madrid, one of them more convincingly than the other.  Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic asserted her authority from the outset against Madison Keys.  While Keys deserves credit for forcing a second-set tiebreak, Ivanovic never looked in serious danger.  She swept six of the last seven points in the tiebreak and now has won 10 of her last 11 matches at WTA tournaments.  A two-time titlist already in 2014, Ivanovic showed the confidence that she had gained by nearly adding a third title in Stuttgart a week ago. 

By contrast, world No. 6 Petra Kvitova narrowly avoided her fourth opening-round loss in eight tournaments this year.  Sorana Cirstea, a former Roland Garros quarterfinalist, did not look likely to threaten Kvitova when she conceded a 6-1 first set and fell behind early in the second set.  No lead has been safe for the Czech in recent years, however, and she found herself embroiled in a dogfight as her rhythm on serve deserted her.  After Cirstea claimed a tight second set, the two women stood toe to toe through a third set that featured only one service break apiece.  The unseeded Romanian led midway through the tiebreak, but Kvitova swept the last four points to survive by the slimmest of margins.

Not every seed in action on Sunday survived, however.  Indian Wells champion Flavia Pennetta could not close out the dangerous Lucie Safarova after a dominant first set.  Despite her Italian origins, Pennetta has earned stronger results on hard courts than clay late in her career.  And world No. 8 Angelique Kerber retired with an injury early in the second set against Caroline Garcia.  This young French talent won her first career title on the outdoor red clay of Bogota this spring before qualifying for the Madrid main draw.  Fans curious about the future of women's tennis may be curious to see whether Garcia can exploit her opportunity.

In limited men's action, an all-Spanish battle saw Roberto Bautista-Agut upset seeded opponent Tommy Robredo.  But the leading men will not start their Madrid campaigns until at least Tuesday as the women continue to claim center stage.  Monday will witness the debuts of Li Na, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, and Caroline Wozniacki.