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World number one Iga Swiatek has extended her winning streak against opponents ranked in the top 10 with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Daria Kasatkina at Forth Worth in Texas.
Swiatek saved two break points before hitting a forehand winner to take a 3-0 lead in the first set and the 21-year-old Pole cruised to victory from there.
She dominated with her serve, including one on match point and has now won all five matches against the Russia this year.
"I think I started pretty well and that gave me a lot of confidence," Swiatek told Tennis Channel.
"But on the other hand, you have to be really careful and patient against Dasha. I wanted to play in a really solid way but put pressure on my opponent.
"I did that pretty well, and I'm happy about it."
The win continues a great season for Swiatek, who rose to world number one in April and has won eight titles, including two Grand Slams at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows this year.
She is the favourite to win the WTA Finals, which features eight women split into two groups, with the top two finishers moving into the semi-finals of the indoor tournament played on purple hard courts in Texas.
In the other Tracy Austin group match of the day, France's Garcia beat American teenager Coco Gauff 6-4 6-3.
The veteran Frenchwoman, who also triumphed over Gauff in the quarter-finals of this year's US Open, was the better player on the match's biggest points, breaking an error-prone Gauff four times.
"The most important thing today is I stayed really positive, really focused on the present moment," Garcia, who faces Swiatek on Thursday, told Tennis Channel.
"We always know how important the beginning of the match is and I had an opportunity to win the first game but got broken, and I said like, that's not good. But I stayed positive and was able to stay calm."
American Jessica Pegula faces Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka battles Maria Sakkari in group stage action on Wednesday.
The WTA Finals conclude on November 7.