Renew: 26/07/2022 18:36
Issued by: 26/07/2022, 15:46

Prague – Four Czech players, led by defending champion Barbora Krejčíková, advanced to the 2nd round of today’s Livesport Prague Open. Second seed Krejčíková cemented her role as favorite with 6:3, 6:1 victories over Russia’s Anna Blinkova, Lucie Havlíčková, Linda Nosková and Dominika alková claiming their first WTA tournament win on hardcourts in Stromovka.

This year’s junior winner Roland Garros Havlíčková beat compatriot Barbora Palicová 6:2, 7:6. Nosková, who won the French Open juniors last year, advanced 6:2, 3:1 after scraping Russian opponent Natalia Vichlantseva. alková beat Switzerland’s Ylena In-Albonova 6:1, 6:4.

Krejčíková will challenge Japan’s Nao Hibinová, ranked 251, in the next round. Havlíčková will meet world number two Anett Kontaveitová, who today beat Georgia’s Ekaterina Gorgodzeová 6:0, 6:1. Nosková will face fifth seed Alizé Cornet of France, and alková will face final Wimbledon quarter-finalist Maria Bouzková on Wednesday.

Twenty-six-year-old Krejčíková beat Blinková, three years his junior, for the third time. The world number 18, who was knocked out in the quarter-finals in Hamburg last week, lost his opening two serves, but each time he broke his opponent immediately. Thanks to another one in the eighth game, he won the first set. Then two-time winner Roland Garros last year was 100 percent on serve and, after using three more break points, led the game to victory in one hour and 18 minutes.

“I’m feeling good. I’m really looking forward to this tournament. There’s also a bit of nervousness. After moving from one surface to another, I didn’t know what to expect at the start. The start was slower, but I’m gradually improving. I think in the end , I’ve been playing good tennis,” Krejčíková told a news conference.

Havlíčková played the Czech duel with Palicová for 21 minutes longer. “I’m happy for this win. It’s my first win in a WTA tournament and I really appreciate it. Winning at Roland Garros gave me a lot of confidence and helped me in difficult times, that you remember what you played and achieved there. ,” Havlíčková told a press conference.

The tennis player from Prague, who is ranked 787th in the world, broke her opponent’s serve three times in the first set. He won the set on the fourth set point. Eighteen-year-old Palicová, who knocked out former world number 12 Yanina Wickmayerová in qualifying, dramatized a duel in the second set. He was leading 3:0, then he lost the lead, but after another break he was still leading 4:3. But Havlíčková reversed the result.

In the tenth game, the match was stopped for a while due to nausea from one of the ball feeders. At that time, Havlíčková had yet to use two match points, but in the next tie-break, at 6:5, he used his third chance to end the match.

Eighteen-year-old alková also celebrated his first win on the WTA circuit. TK Sparta Prague players, who entered the tournament from the qualifiers, beat the world’s 123rd player In-Albonova in 66 minutes. He won the first set clearly thanks to three breaks, but in the second at 5:1 he lost three games in a row and didn’t use six match points. Only in the tenth game did he convert his seventh attempt overall and was able to celebrate the success of his life.

“Finally very nervous. At first I felt great on the court, everything went well for me, but because of one more ball to win, I started to get a little nervous and it was almost 5:5. Fortunately, I made it, although close,” said alková .

Seventeen-year-old Nosková converted three break points in the first set against qualifier Vichlantsevová, who came into the main competition as a lucky loser, and won the set in 35 minutes. After the fourth game of the second set, the 25-year-old Russian’s leg was treated and then withdrew from the duel.

While 1st seed Kontaveit swept world number 126 Gorgordze 6-0, 6-1 in 48 minutes, the tournament ended for No. 4 Sorana Cirstea. The 32-year-old Romanian lost 5:7, 4:6 to qualifier Oksana Selechmeteva of Russia.

Bouzková and alková from the Czech Republic will play on Wednesday. According to the organizers, the decisive weekend fight is already sold out.

Prague tennis