Krejčíková, the 118th player in the world rankings, started the match with the big favorite nervously, but over time she gained confidence and went from 2: 2 to 5: 2 and finished the set at 6: 3. The Romanian woman, who plays the first tournament after the Kronavir break, did not show the game that is expected of her. It was as if she lacked juice and accumulated bugs.
The Czech tennis player started the second set well and took the opponent’s serve right at the beginning. But she immediately repaid her and gradually began to confirm the role of the number one in the tournament. However, Krejčíková fought and gave her opponent a lot of work. She had to decide the second set at a level of 5: 5 with two battled gems.
The Czech team started the decisive set better again, leading quickly 2: 0 and pushing Halepová, who invited a physiotherapist to the bench several times, who helped her in the area of her right shoulder. However, the Romanian woman confirmed that she is a fighter and has experience to give away. She withstood Krejčíková’s pressure and gradually reversed the development of the set – she won 6: 2.
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“I fulfilled what I wanted to stay with Simona on the court for as long as possible. But I was more worried about myself and I was unnecessarily nervous and I ruined it myself in the second set,” Krejčíková stated.
Halep appreciated the opponent’s performance. “She played great and it was hard to find a rhythm. I tried to stop spoiling, which led me to the end, when I played better,” said the Romanian, who also did not do well due to shoulder problems. She had her neck and shoulder treated before and several times during the third set. “Service is not the best right now, but I’m working to make it better. The physiotherapist helped me and by the end I was better served,” she said.
Hradecká and Plíšková are in the quarterfinals
Lucie Hradecká – Kristýna Plíšková, the second seeded couple, celebrated the promotion among the top eight in doubles on Spartan clay, defeating Corn’s Listerovou Renata Voráčová 2: 0 after sets 6: 3 and 6: 4.
“We try to play aggressively, we keep the service and Lucka will help out on the network very often. So far, it works,” Plíšková commented in an interview for Czech Television. “Kristýna serves very well, so it’s easy for me to pick up at my jacket,” Hradecká returned to her teammate.
She secured the quarterfinals in singles Eugenie Bouchardová, who starts the wild card in Stromovka. She defeated in almost three hours of the match Tamaru Zidanšeková from Slovenia 7: 6, 6: 7 and 6: 2.
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The 26-year-old Canadian won the first set in a tie-break with a ratio of 7: 2, but lost the second shortened set 2: 7. In the decisive act, the former world number five, who currently ranks 330th on the WTA rankings, took the lead 5: 1. A little later, she averted her breakball and, during the first match, clenched her fist victoriously after Zidanšek’s mistake.
“It was hard. Tamara is a fighter and you can’t rest. I’m excited to have done it in the third set. I gained the lead and then I trusted myself,” Bouchard described. In the next round, he will face the third seed Elisa Mertens from Belgium.
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