Safarova came to Prague to regroup after going winless in 2016 before this week. The Czech now seems to be back in her clay form from last year. Safarova had a a good start to the match as well, breaking Pliskova in the opening game. Both players were incredibly good on their serves throughout the match. There were no more breaks in the first set, Safarova took the first set point to win the first set 6-4.
Safarova had a weak moment on the serve which Pliskova took advantage of. She had a lead of 4-1, and things were looking good for her. “I was still thinking, it’s only one break, you can turn that around in tennis,” said the No. 2 Czech, Safarova. And so it happened, Safarova broke back and eventually forced the tiebreak. Safarova did not have many problems and won the tiebreak 7-4, thus winning the match.
After the match, Svetlana Kuznetsova came out on the Centre Court to address the crown in Prague: “For several days I have been struggling with a sprained abdominal muscle, and it hurts a lot. This is a great tournament, and I hope to be here next year as well.”
