Putintseva topples Andreescu; Krejcikova rolls in Abu Dhabi

In Tuesday’s night time match on Stadium Court docket on the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, qualifier Yulia Putintseva defeated 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu 7-6(2), 6-2 of their first-round conflict.

Of their first assembly at a Hologic WTA Tour occasion, World No.45 Putintseva of Kazakhstan took an hour and 40 minutes to oust Canada’s Andreescu, ranked No.37. Putintseva had 21 winners to 16 unforced errors, and she or he transformed 5 of her 9 break factors.

“I feel the primary set was a very bodily set, we performed actually, actually robust rallies,” Putintseva stated afterwards. “I used to be feeling just a little bit extra assured within the second set, and I used to be like, ‘You need to put strain now,’ and it labored out effectively.”

Extra from Tuesday in Abu Dhabi: Zheng Qinwen advances, Rogers defeats Fernandez

Six of the primary eight video games went to the returner, however the gamers held serve extra handily as they neared the first-set tiebreak. Within the breaker, Putintseva deployed drop pictures and slices to nice impact, taking a 6-0 lead. Putintseva transformed her third set level along with her second ace of the day.

Putintseva continued to carry the momentum within the second set, the place she raced to a 4-0 lead. Serving for the match at 5-2, Putintseva fended off a break level earlier than closing out the win.

Highlights: Haddad Maia def. Bouzkova

Putintseva booked a second-round assembly with No.6 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil. Haddad Maia, the World No.14, overcame Marie Bouzkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in two-and-a-half hours to say her opening-round victory.

“I’ve to remain low on my legs and be prepared for a troublesome battle,” Putintseva stated, looking forward to Haddad Maia.

2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic was additionally a first-round winner on Tuesday, easing previous qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania 6-1, 6-4.

Krejcikova gained 80 % of her first-service factors and transformed 5 of her seven break factors on her solution to a 1-hour and 14-minute win. Krejcikova is as much as 2-0 towards Ruse, having gained their earlier assembly at 2019 Bucharest in three units.

Krejcikova is now 5-2 in singles this 12 months, with a run to the Australian Open Spherical of 16 final month behind her. Krejcikova additionally gained her seventh Grand Slam ladies’s doubles title alongside Katerina Siniakova in Melbourne.

Additionally on Tuesday, two Prime 20 gamers, Liudmila Samsonova and Karolina Pliskova, picked up first-round victories over fortunate losers.

No.8 seed Samsonova pulled off a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 comeback over Claire Liu. Regardless of dropping a set, World No.19 Samsonova gained 86 % of her first-serve factors to oust Liu, who changed Paula Badosa when the Spaniard withdrew attributable to an higher respiratory sickness.

Samsonova will subsequent face Krejcikova within the second spherical.

World No.20 Pliskova made swift passage into the second spherical with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Ysaline Bonaventure. Former World No.1 Pliskova by no means confronted a break level within the 47-minute victory over Bonaventure, who changed one other former World No.1, Garbiñe Muguruza, within the draw.

Pliskova, the highest-ranked unseeded participant within the draw, now has to face this 12 months’s Australian Open runner-up, No.3 seed Elena Rybakina, within the second spherical.