Kontaveit saves 2 match points to reach Ostrava 2nd round

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) - Eighth-seeded Anett Kontaveit saved two match points to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) in the first round of the Ostrava Open on Monday.

Alexandrova wasted three service games to serve out the match.

Leading 6-4 in the tiebreaker, Alexandrova failed to convert two match points but Kontaveit converted her first one with a forehand volley.

'œI never really gave up, I tried to be a little more aggressive when I was down," Kontaveit said. "I felt maybe I'd taken a little bit off my shots.'ť

Top-seeded Elina Svitolina will her account in the second round against Maria Sakkari, the Greek who eliminated Czech Kristyna Pliskova 6-3, 6-3.

U.S. Open finalist Victoria Azarenka will meet Barbora Krejcikova, who beat fellow Czech qualifier Tereza Martincova 7-5, 6-1.

The inaugural Ostrava Open, an indoor hard-court event, was added to the WTA tour after the tournaments in China were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the hard-hit Czech Republic, where only a maximum of six people are allowed to gather amid the government's restrictive measures adopted to slow the spread of infections, it received a green light to go on but without spectators.

The 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova pulled out after she tested positive for the virus.

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