Halep, who is seeking her third Madrid title in a row, needed only 51 minutes to beat Makarova, World No.32, reports Efe.
"I think it was a great match. I played really well. Of course, maybe she didn't play her best, but she's always tough to play against. It was a good match and a good start," the WTA website cited Halep as saying after the match.
The top-seeded player earned her fifth win over Makarova in their seventh encounter on the court.
Halep, 26, is to take on the winner of an all-Belgian first round clash pitting Alison Van Uytvanck against Elise Mertens.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
