Elena-Gabriela Ruse was the most ruthless winner of the Seoul first round, dismissing Eva Lys 6-1, 6-2 without ever letting the German settle. For a fourth seed opening a WTA 250 that is close to a perfect start.
Yeonwoo Ku also came through comfortably, beating qualifier Alevtina Ibragimova 6-3, 6-2 on a wild card. The Korean will have the crowd behind her at Olympic Park and that counts for something in a small outdoor venue where the noise carries.
The level gap is wider than the scorelines suggest. Ruse has spent the season inside the top 70 and her forehand generates the kind of pace Ku has not faced from her opponents so far this week. Ruse also moves exceptionally well laterally, which removes the short-ball openings Ku would need to take control of rallies.
The route in for Ku is Ruse's tendency to drift through service games when she is comfortably ahead. A home crowd can turn one break into a set. But over two sets the difference in weight of shot should be obvious.
Ruse in straight sets.