Katarina Srebotnik won the battle of the champions as she downed Eleni Daniilidou 7-5 4-6 6-3 on the first day of play at the ASB Classic.
The Slovenian defending champion battled tough, blustery conditions to overcome the 2003 and 2004 trophy holder.
Both players showed early nerves, with Daniilidou in particular suffering badly with her serve - the Greek player hit 14 double faults.
Srebotnik also took time to find her range, with several forehand shots going well wide.
The pair shared breaks in the first set before Srebotnik made the crucial breakthrough in the 12th game, thanks to a forehand winner down the line on her first set point.
Daniilidou, 23, upped her game in the second set and broke the defending champion in the fifth game. She held her nerve to seal the set 6-4.
With the wind continuing to trouble both players the duo shared early breaks before Srebotnik gained the upper hand in the eighth game to lead 5-3.
And after two hours and 37 minutes, Srebotnik earned her first match point, which she duly despatched for a place in the second round.
She won many fans in Auckland last year on her way to winning the championship and says she felt very emotional stepping out on court this time around.
"It was a nice experience with the crowd cheering when they called us out on court. It gave me goose bumps."
The Slovenian seems to specialise in long three-set matches at the ASB Tennis Centre but she admits she enjoys the hard work.
"If someone said that I had to win like this (in three sets) or 6-1 6-1, then I would choose this way," said Srebotnik.
"It's nice to have a tougher match in the first round. Otherwise when you are not pushed to the edge then you are not tested and today I passed the test. Maybe in the final I would like a 6-0 6-0 win."
For Daniilidou it was the second year in a row that she has lost in the first round but the disappointing defeat has not put her off coming to Auckland again in future.
"I love to play here. The crowd are fantastic, the people are very friendly. It feels like home and if I am healthy I will always come back here," said Daniilidou.
"I am upset at losing but I am satisfied with myself. This is only the first match of the year and I am working on a few things.
"In the end she played better and I struggled with my serve and she deserved to win."
The two players are good friends off the court and Daniilidou is hoping Srebotnik will go on to win the tournament again.
The 24-year-old will face American Jamea Jackson or a qualifier next.
