Kirsten Flipkens progressed to the second round of competition in Miami ©Getty Images

Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens earned victory in the first round of the Miami Open at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.

Flipkens claimed a straightforward 6-2, 6-3 win over Romania's Mihaela Buzarnescu to reach the second round of the Women's Tennis Association event.

She will face defending champion Johanna Konta of Britain, who enjoyed a bye.

American wildcard Amanda Anisimova emerged as a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 winner against China's Wang Qiang in her first round match.

Anisimova now faces the challenging prospect of trying to upset Spain's Garbine Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion.

The final round of qualifying also took place, with two former Grand Slam finalists suffering defeats.

Eugenie Bouchard failed to make the main draw of the competition ©Getty Images
Eugenie Bouchard failed to make the main draw of the competition ©Getty Images

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, who made the Wimbledon final in 2014, was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Sweden's Rebecca Peterson.

Italy's Roberta Vinci, runner-up at the US Open in 2015, lost 6-4, 6-3 to Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic.

In men's qualifying, Australia's John Millman claimed a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win over the United States' Ernesto Escobedo to reach the main draw.

His compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, a wildcard entrant, also progressed after winning 7-5, 7-5 against Japan's Taro Daniel.

Switzerland's Roger Federer is the defending men's champion at the tournament.