Czech tennis players continue to take part in tournaments in Dubai. Karolína Plíšková swept world number seven Maria Sakkariová of Greece 6:1, 6:2, Barbora Krejčíková also advanced to the 3rd round, defeating Darja Kasatkinová of Russia 6:4, 4:6, 7:5, Petra Kvitová after the score 6 :4 win , 6:4 over Julia Putintseva from Kazakhstan and Karolína Muchová. She managed 6:4, 7:6 with Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Linda Fruhvirtová and Marie Bouzková did not qualify for the second round. Seventeen year old youth star Fruhvirtová lost to Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia 2:6, 0:6. Bouzková lost 5:7 and 2:6 to Wimbledon champion Jelena Rybakinová from Kazakhstan.
The 30-year-old Plíšková is so far sovereign in the tenth celebration starting in Dubai. In the first round, she beat compatriot Markéta Vondroušová in two sets, now she has lost only three matches against the world number seven.
She will face Anhelina Kalininova from Ukraine to advance to the quarter-finals.
While Plíšková easily defeated the sixth seed, Krejčíková battled tournament seventh seed Kasatkina for over two and a half hours.
The Czech played a brilliant match and quickly took a 5:0 lead, but then she started buying the blame, allowing her opponent to reduce it to 5:4 and only then winning the opening set.
The Czech lost an even second set and ideally didn’t even make it into the third. She dropped serve twice, but saved the match in the last minute. At 4:5, he did not allow his opponent to add to the duel, he avoided four match points in the marathon match and drew level at 5:5. Next, she held serve and finished her turn by breaking in the next game.
Her next opponent is twelfth seed Kvitová, who she has never faced on the WTA circuit. The Czech number one grabbed Putintseva’s serve early in the match and didn’t let go of the lead. He himself fended off all six break points, managing to face four of them in the final game, before earning and converting the first match point.
Muchová defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirsteaová in a 6:4, 7:6 draw. By participating in the round of 16, she enhanced her personal best in Dubai, and thanks to the promotion, she will return to the WTA top 100 after her injury. The former world number 19 battled Cirstea for two hours and 20 minutes.
Dubai Women’s Tennis Tournament (hard courts, $2,788,468 donation):
Singles – 2nd round: Kvitova (12-CR) – Putintseva (Kaz.) 6:4, 6:4, Karolina Plíšková (CZ) – Sakkariová (6-Greek) 6:1, 6:2, Krejčíková (Czech Republic) – Kasatkinová (7-Russia) 6:4, 4:6, 7:5, Muchova (Czech Republic) – Cirsteaová (Romania) 6:4, 7:6 (7:4), Ostapenko (13-Lots.) – L. Fruhvirtova (Czech Republic) 6:2, 6:0, Sabalenková (2-Belarus) – Davisová (US) 6:0, 6:1, Pegulaová (3-US) – Tomovová (Bulgaria) 6:2, 5:7 , 6:1, Keys (USA) – Garcia (4-Fr.) 7:5, 6:4, Samsonova (14-Russia) – Cheng Chin-wen (China) without a fight, Azarenkova (15-Bel.) – Anisimovová (US) 4:6, 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), Kalininová – Jastremská (both English) 5:7, 6:2, 6:3, Rybakinová (9-Kaz.) – Bouzkova (Czech Republic) 7:5, 6:2, Šwiateková (1-Pol.) – Fernandezová (Can.) 6:1, 6:1, Gauffová (5-US) – Sasnovičová (Bel.) 6:0, 6 : 4, Bencicová (8-Switzerland) – Kostyukova (Ukraine) 6:7(7:9), 7:6 (7:5), 6:4, Bogdanová (Romania) – Rogersová (USA) 7 :6 (7:3), 6:3.
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