New Swiss number three Emmanuelle Gagliardi has maintained her impressive late-season form with a straight sets win over New Zealand's Pavlina Nola in Shanghai.

Having suffered ten first round exits from her 15 previous tournaments this year, Gagliardi (WTA 85) made no such mistake on Tuesday, easily disposing of Nola (WTA 108) 6-2, 6-3.

The 25-year-old Genevan showed her first signs of improvement last week, when she reached the quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Tokyo.

To emulate that feat in Shanghai, Gagliardi will have to overcome Japan's Ai Sugiyama (WTA 37) providing Sugiyama can first see her way past Hungary's Zsofia Gubacsi (WTA 116).

While the Swiss number three was turning her thoughts to the second round in China, Swiss number two Patty Schnyder was contemplating a first round exit in Germany.

After receiving a wildcard to the Filderstadt tournament, Schnyder (WTA 50) was beaten in three sets (3-6, 6-1, 7-5) by Slovakian qualifier Daniela Hantuchova (WTA 53) on Tuesday.

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