Daria Kasatkina and Sara Bejlek were unable to take to the court due to injury problems, while Paula Badosa and Ella Seidel both retired after losing the first sets of their respective matches.
The top two-ranked players in the world, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, didn't turn up in Dubai, while Doha finalists Karolina Muchova and Victoria Mboko were late withdrawals, as were Maria Sakkari and Qinwen Zheng.
Second seed Amanda Anisimova was also given a walkover on Monday when Barbora Krejcikova pulled out of their clash.
The relentless, jam-packed tennis schedule remains a hot topic of conversation, with players openly voicing their displeasure with the situation.
"It's a very quick turnaround," Sakkari said after her defeat in the Doha semi-final last week.
"Right now I have no energy at all. I need food and fuel ... We decided we're going to play a more reduced calendar. Not that it means I'm going to play 10 to 12 tournaments a year, but we're not going to stupidly chase points and tournaments."
Rybakina, Gauff and Pegula progress
Australian Open champion Rybakina got her charge for the title and the world number two spot underway with a crushing win over Kimberly Birrell, 6-1, 6-2.
Rybakina was in imperious touch, and should she reach the semi-finals, she will overtake Swiatek to reach a career-high ranking.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff moved into the next round after a much-needed 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Anna Kalinskaya. Neither player was at their best in what was an error-strewn encounter, but Gauff is back to winning ways after her opening-round defeat in Doha last week
It was much more convincing from fellow American Jessica Pegula, who cruised through with a thumping 6-4, 6-0 victory over Varvara Gracheva.
The 31-year-old comes into this event feeling fresh after opting to miss Doha, and will face 18-year-old sensation Iva Jovic, who continued her rise with a fine 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 win against Diana Shnaider.
Sorana Cirstea's fantastic final year on the WTA Tour showed no sign of slowing down, swatting aside 10th seed Linda Noskova, 6-1, 6-4.
The Romanian, who won her home event in Transylvania at the start of February, announced back in December that she would retire at the end of 2026.
Eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova also suffered an early exit, falling 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to Magda Linette. Emma Navarro was sent packing, too, after a heavy 6-2, 6-2 defeat to Elise Mertens.