Google News Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Newly-anointed no. 1 Iga Swiatek kicks off with a victory
by ABBEY JOHNSON
Top seed Iga Swiatek kicked off her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix campaign with a strong performance on Wednesday. The world no. 1 won her opener against Eva Lys 6-1, 6-1 in just 62 minutes to reach the quarter-finals. Swiatek won 66% of her first-serve points to Lys’ 40% and 71% of her second-serve points to the latter’s 35%.
She also converted six of the nine break points she had on the German’s serve. In turn, Swiatek lost her serve once, in the second set while she was trying to serve for the match. This is the Pole’s 20th straight win in a row.
Seeking her 21st win on the trot and a place in the semi-finals, Swiatek now awaits either Tamara Korpatsch or eighth seed Emma Raducanu.
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Seeds continue along without upsets
Raducanu won her first-round match on Wednesday against Australia’s Storm Sanders.
The Briton needed 70 minutes to post a 6-1, 6-2 win over the qualifier. The 2021 US Open finalist won 76% of her first-serve points to Sanders’ 66% and 33% of her second-serve points to the latter’s 29%. Raducanu also saved the only break point she faced while converting four break points on Sanders’ serve.
Fifth seed Anett Kontaveit needed to come from a set down to get the better of Angelique Kerber in their first-round clash. The Estonian won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and one minute. Kerber won 72% of her first-serve points to Kontaveit’s 65% but the southpaw could only manage to win 31% of her second-serve points to Kontaveit’s 50%.
In the second round, Kontaveit will play Ekaterina Alexandrova. In the Czech derby, sixth seed Karolina Pliskova beat Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) in two hours and 23 minutes. In the second round, Pliskova will play Liudmila Samsonova.
Lastly, German Laura Siegemund advanced to the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Siegemund beat Tamara Zidansek 6-3, 6-3 in their first-round match and will play fourth seed Maria Sakkari next. Photo Credit: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Twitter