World Number 14 and top seed Karolina Pliskova came back from a set down to battle past her compatriot Luce Hradecka with 4-6 7-5 6-3 in the all-Czech final of the I&T Banka Prague Open. Diego Sampaolo
Hradecka broke serve in the ninth game of the opening set to take a 5-4 lead before converting on her second set point when Pliskova sent her backhand return long.
Twenty-three year-old Pliskova raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set but she wasted two set points at 5-2 allowing Hradecka to draw level to 5-5. Pliskova converted on her third set point for 7-5 to draw level and forced the match to the decider
Pliskova wasted three match points when she was leading 5-2 in the decider. She served out the match in the 9th game converting her fifth match point with her forehand winner
Hradecka hit 17 aces to Pliskova’s 8 but she committed 10 double faults.
Pliskova won her fourth career title after Kuala Lumpur in 2013, Seoul and Linz in 2014.
“It was very tough to play against a Czech player in front of a Czech crowd. Lucie and I are very good friends. We practice a lottogether at tournaments. We played the Fed Cup together twice, so we know each other very well. In the second set I was serving at 5-3 and I didn’t make it, so I am happy I could win the second set in the end anyway. In the third set she was playing really fast and serving really well”, said Pliskova
WTA Marrakesh Grand Prix de Sar: Svitolina beats Babos
Ukraine’s Elena Svitolina battled past Hungarian Timea Babos 7-5 7-6 (7-3) to win the Grand Prix de Sar WTA International in Marrakesh
Svitolina won the most crucial points and saved five set points in the first set. On the contrary Babos committed too many errors in the most decisive moments of the match
Babos broke serve in the first set but Svitolina broke back at 5-4. Babos wasted five set points after committing too many errors. Svitolina reeled off three consecutive games to win the first set with 7-5.
Babos bounced back with a break of serve and opened up a 2-0 lead but Svitolina broke back and took the 4-3 lead. Babos fought back winning two games in a row to lead 5-4. The match went on serve until the tie-break where Svitolina won 7-3.
Svitolina clinched her second career title after winning I Donetsk in 2013 in another final against Babos.
World Number 14 and top seed Karolina Pliskova came back from a set down to battle past her compatriot Luce Hradecka with 4-6 7-5 6-3 in the all-Czech final of the I&T Banka Prague Open.
Hradecka broke serve in the ninth game of the opening set to take a 5-4 lead before converting on her second set point when Pliskova sent her backhand return long.
Twenty-three year-old Pliskova raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set but she wasted two set points at 5-2 allowing Hradecka to draw level to 5-5. Pliskova converted on her third set point for 7-5 to draw level and forced the match to the decider
Pliskova wasted three match points when she was leading 5-2 in the decider. She served out the match in the 9th game converting her fifth match point with her forehand winner
Hradecka hit 17 aces to Pliskova’s 8 but she committed 10 double faults.
Pliskova won her fourth career title after Kuala Lumpur in 2013, Seoul and Linz in 2014.
“It was very tough to play against a Czech player in front of a Czech crowd. Lucie and I are very good friends. We practice a lottogether at tournaments. We played the Fed Cup together twice, so we know each other very well. In the second set I was serving at 5-3 and I didn’t make it, so I am happy I could win the second set in the end anyway. In the third set she was playing really fast and serving really well”, said Pliskova
WTA Marrakesh Grand Prix de Sar: Svitolina beats Babos
Ukraine’s Elena Svitolina battled past Hungarian Timea Babos 7-5 7-6 (7-3) to win the Grand Prix de Sar WTA International in Marrakesh
Svitolina won the most crucial points and saved five set points in the first set. On the contrary Babos committed too many errors in the most decisive moments of the match
Babos broke serve in the first set but Svitolina broke back at 5-4. Babos wasted five set points after committing too many errors. Svitolina reeled off three consecutive games to win the first set with 7-5.
Babos bounced back with a break of serve and opened up a 2-0 lead but Svitolina broke back and took the 4-3 lead. Babos fought back winning two games in a row to lead 5-4. The match went on serve until the tie-break where Svitolina won 7-3.
Svitolina clinched her second career title after winning I Donetsk in 2013 in another final against Babos.
