The TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship women's tennis tournament kicked off in Istanbul on Tuesday.

In the first match of the main draw, defending champion and 2nd seeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea faced Russian Kamilla Rakhimova at the Turkish Tennis Federation (TTF) Istanbul Tennis Center.

32-year-old Cirstea moved on to the next round after defeating Rakhimova 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets.

In the first round match, Hungarian Anna Bondar dumped eighth-seeded Czech Tereza Martincova out of the tournament with a 6-4, 7-5 win.

Turkish tennis player Ipek Öz, however, was eliminated in the first round.

Home hope Öz, who received a wild card at the competition, faced Dutch Arantxa Rus in the first round.

The national athlete suffered a 6-3, 6-1 defeat and said goodbye to the tournament.

After the win, Rus would face holder Cirstea in the second round.