ADELAIDE, Australia – Swiss player Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic made a strong start to their campaigns at the Adelaide International.
No.8 seed Belinda Bencic put in a strong serving performance to defeat former No.1 Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-4.
Petra Kvitova issued a reminder of her ability when she beat Elena Rybakina in a clash of Wimbledon champions.
The 32-year-old Kvitova, who won at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014, relied on a powerful serve in her 6-3, 7-5 win over the reigning Wimbledon champion.
“I tried to play faster than Elena. She played really great [in Ostrava]; it was a good match and I know that she’s serving really well,” Kvitova said on the court.
“I was focusing on my serve and I was trying to wait for some chances to break her. My serve really worked well today, so that’s what I’m really happy [with].
“We didn’t really have a lot of rallies, so it was about the serve and the first one, two points of the rally. I’m glad that I was there for every shot.”
Former world No. 2 Kvitova also carried form from the recent United Cup, at which she represented the Czech Republic and won a notable victory over third-ranked American Jessica Pegula.
Rybakina became the first player from Kazakhstan to win a major title when she beat Ons Jabeur at Wimbledon last year. But she struggled to get into Monday´s match against Kvitova, whose serve set up key points.
Most players have hailed the United Cup mixed teams format as a success and welcomed the unusual experience of male and female players working together as teammates.
“I enjoyed the United Cup and playing with the guys,” Kvitova said. “It was a different vibe and gave me great practice, great attitude as well so I came here playing very well.”
Another Wimbledon champion, Muguruza, was beaten in the first round. Muguruza joined the main draw as a wild card and lost 6-3, 6-4 to eighth-seeded Bencic.
Coming off a strong week at the United Cup, Bencic fired 10 aces and lost just seven points behind her serve in the 79-minute match.
“I think I served really clean today, I think that was my biggest weapon,” Bencic said. “I felt very comfortable in my own service games and I was able to put pressure on the return.”
Playing her second match of the season, Muguruza put in a solid performance but could not find a way into Bencic’s serving games.
The Spaniard fired eight aces of her own and faced just two break points, but one break in each set was enough for the Swiss.
Bencic did not face a break point, and after pocketing the opening set she lost just one point on her serve in the second set.
Bencic finished the match with 21 winners to just seven unforced errors. She will face either Jelena Ostapenko or Anna Kalinskaya in the second round.
Earlier, Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann, also fresh from the United Cup, beat 2021 Roland Garros finallist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-4.
Pavlyuchenkova ended her 2022 season after the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in May due to a recurring knee injury. Currently ranked No. 365 due to her inactivity, she entered the WTA 500 event on a protected ranking.
Despite Pavlyuchenkova’s long layoff, there was little to separate her from World No.35 Teichmann in 1 hour and 39 minutes. One break of serve decided each set, in each set’s final game.
