Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Petra Kvitova, Linda Fruhvirtova start strong

2013 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships winner Petra Kvitova won her first-round match on Monday. The Czech, seeded 12th defeated Italian Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-1 in just 68 minutes.

Kvitova won 67% of first-serve points and 47% of her second-serve points. But she also won 84% points on return on her opponent’s second serve setting up the proceedings for an easy victory. She also saved four of the six break points she faced while converting six break points on Trevisan’s serve.

The former world no. 2 will play either Petra Martic or Yulia Putintseva next.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Qinwen Zheng vs Liudmila Samsonova

Another Czech, Linda Fruhvirtova also booked a place in the second round. Fruhvirtova defeated Danielle Collins 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 17 minutes. Fruhvirtova won 66% of her first-serve points and 61% of her second-serve points. She also won 62% points on return on the American’s serve.

Next up for the teenager will be either defending titlist Jelena Ostapenko or Ukrainian qualifier Katarina Zavatska. If Fruhvirtova comes through, she could play second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, if the latter also wins her opening-round match.

The top eight seeds have received a first-round bye.

The all-Chinese clash between Qinwen Zheng and Shuai Zhang saw Zheng claim a 6-3, 6-1 win in a little over an hour’s time.

Zheng will now take on 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova. Samsonova came through after outlasting Paula Badosa in a three-hour-22-minute marathon, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-4.

Samsonova hit a dozen aces to the Spaniard’s four across the match. She won 74% of her first-serve points to her opponent’s 66%. Badosa, however, a higher margin of second-serve points – 64% to Samsonova’s 46%. Samsonova saved nine of the 11 break points she faced while converting three break points. In the third set, she came from down a break to end the match on her side.

Meanwhile, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys were also among the winners on the first day of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Photo Credit: Petra Kvitova Twitter