Caroline Garcia saw off Tereza Martincova 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to advance to the second round at the Lyon Open at the Palais des Sports de Gerland.
The WTA Finals champion will face the winner of the match between Alison Van Uytvanck and Tamara Korpatch.
Garcia broke in the second game at deuce to open up a 2-0 lead in the first set. The French player saved two break points in the seventh game but Martincova broke back in the ninth game for 4-5. Garcia broke for the second time on her first set point in the 10th game.
Martincova broke serve in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead. Garcia broke straight back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Martincova saved two match points with an ace and a service winner. Both players traded three mini-breaks to draw level to 4-4 in the tie-break. Garcia won the final three points to win the tie-break 7-4.
“Every match is tough. I did not play very well at some stages of the match, but I managed to stay focused and aggressive. I don’t want to think about the pressure, but I focus on tennis. I am grateful to play in my home city Lyon. My family and friends came to support me. I want to share this moment with them. It was a pleasure to enjoy this atmosphere in my home tournament. I am focused on this tournament but It was not easy to bounce back from the disappointment at the Australian Open. I was not able to convert the opportunites I had”, said Garcia.
Defending champion Shuai Zhang beat Madison Brengle 6-3 6-2. Shuai Zheng earned the break in the sixth game to win the first set 6-3. The second set started with three consecutive breaks. Zhang earned the decisive break in the seventh game and served the win on her second match point.
Danka Kovinic beat Victorija Golubic 6-1 6-4 to cruise into the second round.
Kovinic set up a second round match against Anna Bondar from Hungary.
Kovinic earned two breaks of serve in the fourth and sixth games to close out the first set 6-1.
Kovinic went up a 3-0 lead with a double break in the second set. Golubic pulled one of the two breaks back in the fourth game for 1-3. Kovinic broke twice more in the sixth and eighth gamesat deuce to seal the second set 6-4.
