EASTBOURNE, England — In a thrilling start to the Eastbourne Open, Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova triumphed over British rival Harriet Dart, saving two match points on Dart’s serve before clinching victory in a gripping first-round encounter.
Dart held a 40-15 advantage while leading 5-4 in the dramatic third set of a match impacted by rain. However, the second-seeded Krejcikova showcased her resilience, ultimately winning with scores of 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5.
This victory marked only Krejcikova’s second win this year, as the 17th-ranked player had faced a slow start to her season due to a back injury that kept her off the court until May.
At 29, the Czech star is using the Eastbourne tournament as her final tune-up ahead of defending her Wimbledon crown next week, after an early exit at her last grass-court event in Queen’s Club, London.
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, overcame a slow start, dropping the first set but rallying back to defeat Ann Li from the United States with a score of 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1. The seventh-seeded Brit is set to face Australian prodigy Maya Joint, who recently upset Ons Jabeur, the two-time Wimbledon finalist.
In other news, fourth-seeded American Sofia Kenin experienced an early exit after a 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Australia’s Kimberly Birrell, ranked 77th.
