Stosur opens with victory in Prague
Having last year made the final in Prague, Sam Stosur made an encouraging start to her 2017 campaign in the Czech capital with an opening-round win on Tuesday.
Prague, Czechia, 3 May 2017 | AAP
Sam Stosur is through to the second round of the WTA Prague Open after beating Evgeniya Rodina 6-2 6-3 on Tuesday.
Stosur, the No.4 seed at the claycourt tournament, served five aces in the straight-sets win over world No.78 Rodina.
It’s the second time Stosur – currently ranked No.19 – has beaten her Russian opponent, having won 6-1 6-1 in the second round of the 2015 US Open in their only prior meeting.
The 33-year old Australian will play qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round, after the world No.144 Brazilian beat American Christina McHale in their opening match.
Stosur last year went all the way to the final in the Czech capital before falling in three sets to Lucie Safarova in the title match.