Italian Francesca Schiavone was the highest-profile casualty as the women's qualifying round got underway ©Getty Images

Italian Francesca Schiavone was the highest-profile casualty as the women's qualifying round got underway at the Indian Wells Masters.

Schiavone, winner of the 2010 French Open, was beaten 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 by Jil Teichmann of Switzerland at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Teichmann will face Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium tomorrow for a place in the main draw of the tournament.

The women's qualification round features no less than six players who have reached a Grand Slam semi-final or better.

Germany's Sabine Lisicki, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2013, was also eliminated at the first hurdle as she lost 7-5, 6-2 to 19-year-old American Sofia Kenin.

Germany's Sabine Lisicki, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2013, was also eliminated at the first qualification round ©Getty Images
Germany's Sabine Lisicki, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2013, was also eliminated at the first qualification round ©Getty Images

Vera Zvonareva of Russia had no such trouble, however, as she cruised into the second qualification round with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Victoria Duval of the United States.

Germany's Andrea Petkovic fought back from a set down to join Zvonareva in progressing to the next phase of the qualifying stage as she beat American Nicole Gibbs 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.

"Nicole played an incredible first set and I just stayed calm and I didn’t lose my nerve and I managed to turn it around," Petkovic said. 

"That’s something that last year, I got really nervous when I’d lose the first set and I was like, 'oh my God, I'm a Top 10 player, I shouldn't be losing first sets in qualifying.'

"But everybody is playing well. 

"It has nothing to do with my quality. 

"It has to do with the quality of the other players."