The ninth seed won the title in 2019 and will face recent Abu Dhabi champion Sara Bejlek next.
Yes, I really do (enjoy playing here). I enjoy playing more at night. The ball doesn’t fly as much as in the day. The conditions are so different in the day and in the night," she said after her win.
"The year that I won, I played every match during the night session. That’s why it’s my lucky charm. If the tournament director is listening, please let me play at night!”
Meanwhile, 16th seed and 18-year-old starlet Iva Jovic set up a tasty second-round encounter with Diana Shnaider after a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova, while Emma Navarro secured a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win over Elena Gabriela Ruse in an hour and 38 minutes.
Sorana Cirstea, Daria Kasatkina and Clara Tauson all also progressed with straight-set wins, but Leylah Fernandez's really tough run of form continued as she fell 7-6(5), 6-4 to Janice Tjen.