CHARLESTON (South Carolina): Magdalena Frech of Poland advanced at the Credit One Charleston Open when 11th-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova retired during the second set of their first-round match.
Frech led 7-6 (8-6), 3-2 when the two-time Wimbledon champ retired, reportedly due to a thigh issue. Frech led the first-set tiebreaker 6-2 but lost four straight set points, as Kvitova tied it 6-6 before the Pole finished the job.
Frech will now play Kaia Kanepi in the second round. The Estonian posted a comeback victory of her own against Shelby Rogers, who struggled with her game after having sustained a bad fall in the second set.
Rogers also served for the match in the set but was thwarted as Kanepi posted a 6-7(2-7), 7-5, 6-2 victory.
Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina and Katarina Zavatska also won their respective first-round matches. Kalinina defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-4, 6-4 while Zavatska ousted China’s Yue Yuan 6-4, 6-2.
Kalinina will take on Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina, who received a first-round bye, while, Zavatska will play Ekaterina Alexandrova who beat American qualifier Allie Kiick, 6-1, 6-1.
Another Ukranian player Nadia Kichenok fell to Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri by 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Eikeri will take on ninth seed Madison Keys next.
American 15th seed Amanda Anisimova reached the second round after a 6-0, 7-5 win over compatriot Sachia Vickery.
Claire Liu and Shuai Zhang will play each other in the second round. The American won against Heather Watson, 6-4, 6-2 while Zhang, seeded 16th in the draw, defeated Francesca di Lorenzo of the US 6-2, 6-4.
Alize Cornet also reached the second round with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Alycia Parks. The 12th seed from France now awaits either Elena-Gabriela Ruse or Hailey Baptiste in the second round.
Hungary’s Anna Bondar earned a second-round matchup against world number three Paula Badosa after defeating the Netherlands’ Arianne Hartono 6-1, 6-4.
Italian Jasmine Paolini will meet six seed and world number 13 Jessica Pegula in the second round after beating Romania’s Gabriela Lee 6-2, 6-3.
Another Romanian, Irina-Camelia Begu won her opener against China’s Xinyu Wang, 7-6(7-2), 6-4. Begu will play either American qualifier, Sophie Chang or fourth seed Ajla Tomljanovic next.
Czech 16-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova scored another big win, upsetting world No 62 Ana Konjuh. Coming off the biggest week of her career, reaching the fourth round in Miami, Fruhvirtova bounced back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to set up a clash against either 10th seed Belinda Bencic or China’s Wang Xiyu.
Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2022