BEIJING, Oct. 1 -- A spirited performance from a hometown favourite and a professional outing by the reigning US Open women's champion headlined the action at the China Open in Beijing on Monday.

Defending US Open champion Naomi Osaka saw off a resilient Zarina Diyas 6-4, 6-3.

The two players fought hard in the first set, with both holding serve to 4-all, despite an early break opportunity for the Japanese world No. 8 in Diyas' first service game.

The second set got underway with each player getting breaks, followed by Osaka running away with the proceedings to go up 5-1. Diyas then held serve and replied with a stellar break of her own, but Osaka kept it together on return to seal the match in just over one hour.

"I've played her [Diyas] before in [the] French Open, and it was a really tough match. I think... I needed to find a way to win, even if it was [by] playing ugly," Osaka said.

China's Zhang Shuai is through to the second round after a hard-fought win over Belgium's Elise Mertens.

Zhang beat her opponent 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Zhang praised the Chinese fans for their support during a difficult game.

"In Beijing and the China Open I am always inspired by the fans, their support, which helps me raise my level in Beijing."

The second set was a struggle for Zhang. She did well at the outset, holding her service games and managing to break her opponent to go up at 2-1. But the turning point came when a Mertens break made it 3-all, and a series of unforced errors helped the Belgian run away with the set.

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