Australia’s Daria Gavrilova has suffered a straight-sets defeat in the second round of the Birmingham Classic to defending champion Petra Kvitova.

Fourth-seeded Kvitova broke early in the first set and hit some powerful backhands and strong returns to wrap up the contest 6-2 6-2 in one hour and 18 minutes.

Gavrilova won their last two match-ups being stubborn and mobile enough to contain Kvitova’s uncompromising hitting. But the wind pushed and pulled the Australian into errors at important moments.

“I think a few of the games were very tight, especially when you need to break. It’s always tough to get the break on the grass,” Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, said.

Current Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza suffered a 6-2 6-4 exit at the hands of unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova.

The experienced Strycova, a runner-up at this Edgbaston tournament in 2014 and 2016, picked up a double break early in the first set and eventually defeated the top seed with surprising ease in just under 90 minutes.

The defeat comes as a setback for the Spaniard’s grasscourt preparations ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on July 2.