Slovenian qualifier Kaja Juvan on Tuesday upset second-seeded Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, the first official tennis tournament since March.
Vondrousova won the first set in just 29 minutes. She came from 4-0 down in the second to take a 5-4 lead and was just two points away from winning the match before Juvan recovered.
Juvan took another 4-0 lead in the third set and secured the match when Vondrousova hit a forehand into the net. It was her first career win against a top-20 ranked opponent.
“She started off really well and I was a little bit nervous — she’s my first top-20 player,” Juvan said in a video conference. “The conditions were really hard, but in the second and third set I calmed myself and I started playing much better.”
A limited number of fans were allowed into the 1,500-seat stadium court and had to follow social distancing measures.
There are also strict rules for the players, such as handling their own towels, not shaking hands with their opponents, and no autographs or photographs with fans.
Juvan was spoken to by the umpire after throwing her visor and wristbands to the crowd.
“Obviously we get tested a lot so I understand their concern, but it was actually like an instinct,” Juvan said. “All of us that are here are negative and so I was like: ‘Well I got the result again today,’ so I thought I might as well give it to them.”
Juvan next faces Camila Giorgi, who became the fourth Italian to progress to the second round after beating Rebecca Peterson 7-5, 6-4.
Top-seeded Petra Martic eased into the second round with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Alison Van Uytvanck. The Croatian next faces Russian qualifier Ludmilla Samsonova, who beat Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-2.
“It’s been such a long break and I don’t think anyone knows what to expect when the real match comes,” Martic said. “I really just tried to focus on my own game and tried to enjoy the fact that we are back on court again — and I think I managed both.”
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