Former world number one Martina Hingis made short work of Mashona Washington with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday.

Hingis, winner of the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2001, breezed past her American rival in just 46 minutes.

"I think I played quite well, except in the first game of the match, which I lost," the Swiss told reporters.

"I didn't miss much after being broken in the first game. In the first set, I knew I could do anything I wanted, my passing shots were coming off well and my serves were good too. I played my shots with a lot of confidence," she added.

Wildcard Hingis will play third seed Francesco Schiavone next after the Italian received a bye into the second round.

Hingis, who returned to the tour at the beginning of the year after retiring in 2002, was broken in the first game by an aggressive Washington.

She caught Hingis on the wrong foot with an unreachable forehand and followed with another deftly placed shot.

Hingis then found her rhythm and won the first set with an ace in 24 minutes. The 25-year-old broke her opponent in the first and fifth games of the second set to complete an easy win.

German Julia Schruff upset eighth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro 6-2, 7-5 and Li Na of China defeated Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-4.