Victim of an injury a few days before the Australian Open, the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, victorious at the last Wimbledon tournament, withdrew on Tuesday from the WTA tournament in Adelaide, where the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and the French Caroline Garcia , qualified, will compete in the second round.
Marketa Vondrousova, world No.7, was to play her first round match Tuesday evening against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. But the WTA announced its withdrawal, citing a hip injury, without specifying its seriousness.
Former winner of Roland-Garros in 2017, Jelena Ostapenko, world number 12, for her part needed three sets to overcome her Romanian rival Sorana Cirstea (2-6, 6-2, 6-4). She lost her serve twice in the first set before waking up. “I slept through the first set, I’m not really a morning person,” she said after her competitive morning match at Memorial Drive.
“I like playing in Australia,” said the Melbourne 2023 quarter-finalist. “The conditions are good for me. Sometimes I get too angry, but then I calm down and play better.”
Ostapenko will meet in the round of 16 former world number four, Caroline Garcia, now down to 20th place. The Frenchwoman avoided a disappointment by coming back from a break behind in the final set to beat Australian wildcard Taylah Preston 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
The German Laura Siegemund dismissed the 14th in the world, the Russian Liudmila Samsonova 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-4. Another Russian, Veronika Kudermetova, 16th at the WTA, eliminated the American lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 7-5.
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova, currently 37th, lost 6-2, 6-1 to qualifier Katerina Siniakova in a clash between Czech players.
