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Yulia Putintseva got the better of Bianca Andreescu in their opening-round meeting at the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday. The Kazakh won 7-6(2), 6-2 in 80 minutes. The Canadian had come into this tournament after having retired with an injury to her shoulder in the semi-finals of the Thailand Open in Hua Hin last week.
Putintseva won 71% of her first-serve points to Andreescu’s 50%. But the latter did well to win second-serve points – winning 57% to her opponent’s 44%. But Putintseva went on to convert five of the nine break points she had on Andreescu’s serve while saving five break points she faced.
The world no. 45 also hit 21 winners across the match. In the second round, Putintseva will play sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Brazilian dropped the first set in her first-round match against Marie Bouzkova but rebounded to take a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 win for herself after two hours and 26 minutes of play.
Abu Dhabi Open: Czech players dominate
Two other Czech Republican players in the draw, meanwhile, fared well in their respective first-round match-ups. Barbora Krejcikova notched a 6-1, 6-4 win against Elena-Gabriela Ruse after 74 minutes of play.
The former French Open champion won 80% of her first-serve points and 74% points on return on the Romanian’s second serve. She also made good of five of the seven break points that came her way although she did lose her serve twice.
Krejcikova’s next opponent will be eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova. Samsonova defeated lucky loser Claire Liu, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Earlier, the American had replaced Paula Badosa in the draw after the latter withdrew due to illness.
Karolina Pliskova also got the better of a lucky loser, Ysaline Bonaventure. The Belgian had replaced Badosa’s compatriot, Garbine Muguruza in the draw after the latter withdrew from the event citing personal reasons.
Pliskova needed just 47 minutes to wrap up a 6-1, 6-3 win for herself. For a place in the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open, Pliskova will now play third seed Elena Rybakina. 