Andrea Petkovic broke six times to start her week at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Italian Camila Giorgi as the German winner ended a two-match loss streak.

Petkovic could face new world number nine Bencic in the next round if she beats former number one Jelena Jankovic in the opening round.

“I’m very happy with how I played, I’ve worked hard over the past few weeks to be ready here and I was able to translate good training onto the match court,” Petkovic said.

“All the work paid off, things are coming together for me.”

“I didn’t have the best head-to-head against her, but I’m finding the balance between consistency and going all out for your shots, coming in on the short ball – I think I did that quite well today.”

“I feel much more ready physically than I did last year and I’m looking forward to the season.”