Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova delivered a stunning upset at the Berlin Tennis Open on Monday, taking down ninth-seeded Diana Shnaider of Russia in a dramatic three-set battle, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3.
The match was anything but straightforward. Bartunkova built a 5-4 lead in the second set and had a chance to close it out, but Shnaider escaped two match points before ultimately winning the tiebreaker. In the third set, Shnaider jumped out to a 3-0 advantage, only for Bartunkova to reel off six consecutive games and seal the victory.
Two other first-round matches were completed Monday at the Berlin event. Belgium’s Elise Mertens mounted a strong comeback against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, while Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova claimed the opening set 6-1 before her Austrian opponent Anastasia Potapova was forced to retire.
At the Lexus Nottingham Open in Great Britain, American third seed Emma Navarro bounced back from dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker to defeat Hungary’s Anna Bondar 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-2. Navarro was dominant on serve, winning 76.8 percent of her service points — 63 out of 82 — while Bondar saved 9 of 13 break point opportunities. Navarro’s next challenge will be Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, who advanced after rallying past Australia’s Maya Joint 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-4.
Czech fourth seed Marie Bouzkova dispatched fellow Czech Tereza Valentova in straight sets, but the day saw two seeded players exit the tournament. China’s Qinwen Zheng upset Greek sixth seed Maria Sakkari 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Germany’s Tatjana Maria eliminated ninth-seeded Janice Tjen of Indonesia 6-3, 6-2. Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Australians Talia Gibson and Taylah Preston also advanced to the next round.
