Second-seeded Barbora Krejcikova converted 6 of 8 break points while sailing to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Linda Fruhvirtova on Wednesday in a first-round all-Czech matchup in Prague.
Krejcikova won 73.1% of her first-serve points (19 of 26) in a match that took one hour and 18 minutes. Krejcikova won the final three games of the first set and the last four of the second.
Czechs seeded No. 3, 4 and 5 also won their matches. Sara Bejlek, seeded third, knocked off Russian Anna Blinkova 7-6 (9), 3-6, 6-1. No. 4 Nikola Bartunkova rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 triumph over China’s Yuan Yue and No. 5 Tereza Valentova rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Australia’s Priscilla Hon.
Also, American-born Aussie Maya Joint posted a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Laura Samson of Czechia. Joint was the player who beat Serena Williams in the first round in the latter’s recent comeback attempt at Wimbledon.
MSC Hamburg Ladies Open
Top-seeded Oleksandra Oliynykova saved 16 of 22 break points while registering a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Germany’s Nastasja Schunk in Germany.
Oliynykova cruised through the first set before Schunk won the final four games of the second set to even the match. Oliynykova led 4-1 in the third before Schunk recovered to knot it at 5. Oliynykova then won the final two games.
No. 3 Panna Udvardy of Hungary notched a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Elena Pridankina of Russia. No. 5 Tamara Korpatsch of Germany won 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 when Andorra’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva retired due to a lower-leg injury.
No. 7 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan beat Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-2, 7-6 (5), and No. 8 Sinja Kraus of Austria rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Darja Semenistaja of Latvia.
–Field Level Media
