The FIE Sabre Grand Prix got underway with women's qualifying today in Seoul ©Getty Images

Svetlana Kormilitsyna was the leading first round qualifier as the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Sabre Grand Prix got underway in Seoul with the women's preliminary rounds.

As the 16 top-seeded entrants - including Romania's Bianca Pascu, winner of the World Cup event in Athens on March 18, Ukraine’s reigning world champion Olga Kharlan, Anna Marton of Hungary, Rossella Gregoria of Italy and Cecilia Berder of France - were exempted from the pool competition, the Russian produced the best unbeaten performance.

Kormilitsyna was one of seven women to win every one of their five pool matches in the SK Handball Gym.

Svetlana Kormilitsyna, pictured first right with fellow Russian silver medallists in the women's sabre team competition at the 2005 Fencing World Championships, was top qualifier at today's FIE Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul ©Getty Images
Svetlana Kormilitsyna, pictured first right with fellow Russian silver medallists in the women's sabre team competition at the 2005 Fencing World Championships, was top qualifier at today's FIE Sabre Grand Prix in Seoul ©Getty Images

The others were Italians Camilla Fondi and Rebecca Gargano, Germany’s Lea Krueger, Ann-Elizabeth Stone of the United States, Anna Bashta of Russia and China’s Xiaoye Jia.

Kharlan will meet Italy’s Chiara Mormile tomorrow morning in the round-of-64, with Pascu due to face Maria Perez Maurice of Argentina.

The event runs over the weekend, with the men’s preliminary competition getting underway tomorrow morning.

Home eyes will be on Gu Bon-gil, the 28-year-old who won team Olympic gold at London 2012 and individual silver at last year's World Championships in Leipzig.