Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty won her first match of the WTA Finals ©Getty Images

Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty triumphed in her first match of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Shenzhen.

Barty, who claimed the French Open title in June, overcame Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in the Chinese city. 

Competing in the red group, the pair were followed by Naomi Osaka of Japan and Czech player Petra Kvitová.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka was the victor, defeating her opponent 7-6, 4-6, 6-4. 

The purple group gets under way tomorrow, with Karolína Plíšková of the Czech Republic set to take on Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

Naomi Osaka of Japan was triumphant in her first match of the WTA Finals ©WTA Finals
Naomi Osaka of Japan was triumphant in her first match of the WTA Finals ©WTA Finals

Bianca Andreescu of Canada will then come up against Simona Halep of Romania. 

The WTA Finals are the culmination of sixteen tournaments this season, with the best eight players qualifying. 

Competition takes place in a round-robin format in the group stage, with the top two players from each group then reaching the semi-finals. 

The total amount of prize money has doubled from $7million (£5.4million/€6.3million last year in Singapore to $14million (£10.8million/€12.6million) this year, with the champion picking up $4.7million (£3.6million/€4.2million).