Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova opened her Australian Open campaign with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Veronica Cepede Royg on Tuesday.
No. 6 seed Pliskova was off to a flying start as she broke her opponent’s serve thrice and struck 15 winners, including three aces to coast through the opening set. With Pliskova striking clean winners from both wings, the 25-year-old from Paraguay was left frustrated on the court. Although Cepede Royg did manage to get one of the breaks back, Karolina was simply too good to take a one set to nothing lead in the contest.
The second set was a much closer affair between the two players, but it was the Czech whose experience eventually allowed her to come out unscathed. With an early break of serve, the former US Open finalist coasted to a 5-2 lead, but then came face-to face with the spirited play of the Paraguayan. Veronica’s final flutter during the closing stages of the match delayed the inevitable for some time, but couldn’t prevent Pliskova from earning a well deserved win in an hour and thirty two minutes.
Cepede Royg’s eight double faults compared to Karolina’s one and her dismal performance on serve, particularly her inability to win any free points behind her serve proved to be her undoing in the end. While Pliskova’s ace count stood at an impressive seven, for Cepede Royg it was just one.
“There was a little complication at the end of the second set,” Pliskova explained during her on-court interview. “Otherwise, I’m happy to be through, because it wasn’t easy. We played in Paris, and it was also quite close. I’m happy to be through to the next round.”
“The conditions can be almost perfect for me. I made the quarterfinals for the first time in my life last year. I want to maybe go one step further, but we will see. I think the tournament is very tough, and as always, everyone wants to play their best tennis. But I’ll do my best.”
“Every round is tough, but the first is always the toughest for me. Hopefully I’ll feel better in the next one, take it match by match, and I think I’ll have a good chance.”
