Kontaveit saves match points to overcome Alexandrova at Ostrava Open
Anett Kontaveit, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejcikova booked their places in the second round of the Ostrava Open.
Anett Kontaveit came back from a double break down in the deciding set to edge past Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6 6-2 7-6 (8-6) at the Ostrava Open on Monday.
Kontaveit, seeded eighth, was made to work hard for victory by her Russian opponent, who had opened a 5-2 lead in the third set before being pegged back for a deciding tie-break.
Estonian Kontaveit saved two match points in the breaker, ultimately prevailing in two hours and 14 minutes to set up a second-round clash with Sara Sorribes Tormo after her 6-1 6-3 victory over Magda Linette.
“I was so close to being out, so I just tried to stay in the match,” Kontaveit said. “I never really gave up. I tried to be a little more aggressive when I was down. I felt maybe I’d taken a little bit off my shots.
Anett Kontaveit takes it!
A stunning performance sealed with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) win #jtbankaostravaopen pic.twitter.com/ZNeQieqxJA
— wta (@WTA) October 19, 2020
“She was really getting on top of me so I felt I had to push back, and sometimes when you take those risks they pay off.
“I think it was more adrenaline and instinct, especially at the end of the third. I was behind so badly that I was just trying to stay in it. I thought it was important that I never gave anything to her, she had to earn it to go in front.”
Elsewhere, Maria Sakkari set up a second-round meeting with number one seed Elina Svitolina after a 6-3 6-3 win over Kristyna Pliskova, while Barbora Krejcikova beat Tereza Martincova 7-5 6-1.
