Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the second round of the Prague Open on Monday after rallying from a set down to oust crowd favorite Kristyna Pliskova, while fellow Taiwanese Chuang Chia-jung and Chan Chin-wei advanced to the quarter-finals of the doubles.
World No. 96 Pliskova, who lives in the Czech capital, started strongly and took the first set 6-4, but the Taiwanese world No. 78 defused her opponent’s powerful game and then it picked apart to complete a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in 1 hour, 34 minutes.
The Taiwanese No. 1 saved none of the three break points Pliskova created, but converted six of 13, winning 83 of the 148 points contested to set up a second-round clash with 18-year-old world No. 77 Ana Konjuh of Croatia, who stunned sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
Also advancing to the second round was Czech wild-card Katerina Siniakova, who upset former world No. 11 Alize Cornet of France 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
“I was trying to play my best and it was really hard because she was fighting, running everywhere, so I’m so happy I could win,” Siniakova told the WTA Web site. “I just focused on every point and stuck to the tactics I agreed [with my coach] before the match.”
In the other first-round matches, Madison Brengle of the US defeated Britain’s Naomi Broady 6-2, 6-0 and Slovakian wild-card Jana Cepalova edged Margarita Gasparyan of Russia 7-6 (9/7), 7-5.
In the women’s doubles, third seeds Chuang and Darija Jurak survived a second-set wobble to oust Vera Dushevina of Russia and Lidziya Marozava of Belarus 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 10-6 in 1 hour, 28 minutes.
The Taiwanese-Croatian duo saved six of nine break points and converted five of eight, winning 76 of the 135 points contested to advance to a quarter-final against Maria Irigoyen of Argentina and Paula Kania of Poland, who ousted Czech pairing Barbora Strycova and Renata Voracova 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
Chan and Klaudia Jans-Ignacik knocked out Czech pairing Tereza Smitkova and Barbora Stefkova 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in 1 hour, 16 minutes.
The Taiwanese-Polish duo saved four of nine break points and converted six of eight, winning 69 of the 133 points contested to advance to a quarter-final against either second seeds Gasparyan and Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic or Czech pairing Barbora Krejcikova and Siniakova.
GRAND PRIX SAR
AP, RABAT
Second seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia beat Alexandra Dulgheru 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Grand Prix SAR on Monday, while third seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia was routed 6-0, 6-1 by former champion Kiki Bertens.
In another upset, Brazilian Teliana Pereira beat sixth seed Annika Beck 6-3, 6-1, breaking the German player’s serve seven times.
Fifth seed Timea Babos of Hungary labored to a 6-3, 6-7 (8/10), 6-1 win against Polona Hercog, while Sweden’s Johanna Larsson beat Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-2 and next faces Pereira.
SEE VERDASCO ON PAGE 18
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