Czech tennis players Barbora Krejčíková and Karolína Plíšková were eliminated in the second round at the tournament in Abu Dhabi. In the duel with Lyudmila Samsonova from Russia, Krejčíková avoided five match points, but in the end she lost 5:7 and 6:7, Plíšková lost 4:6, 2:6 to Jelena Rybakinová from Kazakhstan.
Krejčíková did not enter the match well and let the eighth seed take a 4:1 lead. But then the winner of last year’s Roland Garros took over and turned the score to 5:4. But the end belonged to Samsonova again, who used the third set point.
The 27-year-old Krejčík didn’t even enter the second set. This time, Samsonová took the lead 5:2, but the Czech tennis player fought back again. She averted five match points on her own serve, equalized at 5:5 and forced a tie-break.
In it, Krejčíková got off to a great start and led 3:0. Although she quickly lost her lead, she had a set point at 6:5. However, the 28-year-old Samsonov equalized and won two more points and ended the match at the sixth match point on her opponent’s serve.
Australian Open quarter-finalist Plíšková failed to win at least a set even in the third match against Rybakinová. Although the former world number one scored eight aces, she also made five double faults and faced eight break points, three of which she did not prevent. She, on the other hand, did not use either of the two break options against the Melbourne Grand Slam finalist and last year’s Wimbledon champion.
Abu Dhabi Women’s Tennis Tournament (hard surface, $780,637 subsidy):
Singles – 2nd round: Samsonova (8-Russian) – Krejčíková (CZ) 7:5, 7:6 (8:6), Rybakinová (3-Kaz.) – Pliskova 6:4, 6:2, Kasatkinová (1-Russia) – Teichmannová (Switzerland) 1:6, 6:0, 6:2.
