Wimbledon champion Barbora Klezikova saved two match points with a serve from British opponent Harriet Dirt and rallyed to win the opening match at the Grass Court Eastbourne Open on Tuesday.
Dirt was 40-15 with a serve leading 5-4 in the decisive third set of 32 matches affected by the rain, where second-seeded Krezikova won 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5.
This year was the second win for 17th place Krezikova, but that season didn’t begin until May due to a back injury.
The 29-year-old Czech player came to Eastbourne for his final warm-up before starting his defense of the Wimbledon title next week. She lost in the first round in her previous Grass Court event at Queen’s Club in London.
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu dropped the first set to win US Anne Lee 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1. The next seventh seeded British player faces Australian teenager Maya Joint. The Mayan joint eliminated Ons Jabeur, who had Tunisia’s two-inning Wimbledon beat the finalist twice on Monday.
Fourth seeded American Sofia Kenin lost her opening match 6-4, 6-4 with 77th Australian Kimberly Burrell.