Seed No.1 Petra Kvitova and seed No.2 Roberta Vinci both won their first-round matches in straight sets at the new International-level stop on the WTA Tour, the BNP Paribas Katowice Open in Poland.
Kvitova’s best game comes to light on indoor courts and the venue very close to her hometown of Fulnek in the Czech Republic makes this tournament even more suitable for the Wimbledon champion. In the first meeting with the 88th-ranked Misaki Doi, the favorite Kvitova went for a tight 6-4 6-4 victory in her first match on clay this season.
After a great run to the quarterfinals of Miami, Vinci followed Kvitova into the second round of the Katowice Open when her opponent Andrea Hlavackova retired with dizziness while down 2-6 0-2.
Kvitova and Vinci are actually the only seeds left in the draw. No.7 seed Sabine Lisicki lost in the first round today to Alexandra Cadantu 7-5 6-2, while third seed Klara Zakopalova and sixth seed Kaia Kanepi fell in the second round to Maria Elena Camerin and Karolina Pliskova respectively. Earlier at the tournament, No.4 Julia Goerges couldn’t finish her opener against Jill Craybas due to dizziness, while No.5 Alize Cornet and No.8 Laura Robson suffered upsets. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)
