The two WTA 250 tournaments this week completed their first rounds on Tuesday, with a striking observation in Prague: Czech players dominate the draw. All five nationally seeded Czechs advanced past the first round at the Livesport Prague Open. Marie Bouzková, the top seed and defending champion, edged Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 in a tight affair. Barbora Krejčíková, the second seed and fresh off her Athens title, dispatched compatriot Linda Fruhvirtová 6-2, 6-4.
Further down the draw, Sára Bejlek (No.3) scraped through against Anna Blinkova 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-1, surviving a marathon tiebreak before cruising in the decider. Nikola Bartůňková (No.4) came from a set down to beat China's Yue Yuan 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, while Tereza Valentová (No.5) breezed past Priscilla Hon 6-3, 6-1. Czech women's tennis continues to shine following Linda Nosková's Wimbledon coronation ten days ago.
The most notable upset involved France's Diane Parry, the seventh seed, swept aside by Japan's Moyuka Hontama 6-4, 6-0. Parry, ranked 55th, managed just four games in a one-sided encounter. The other seed to fall was Croatia's Antonia Ružić (No.6), beaten by local player Dominika Šalková 7-6(2), 6-4.
In Hamburg, on the Am Rothenbaum clay, the favourites largely held firm. Top seed Oleksandra Oliynykova, ranked 52nd, was pushed to the limit: trailing a set to one against German wild card Nastasja Schunk, the Ukrainian escaped with a 7-5 third set. Anhelina Kalinina (No.2) overcame Kaitlin Quevedo 7-5, 6-4, and Panna Udvardy (No.3) handled Ella Pridankina 6-4, 6-2. Yulia Putintseva (No.7) beat Mona Barthel 6-2, 7-6(5), proving that experience remains a valuable asset on clay.
The second round begins Wednesday in both tournaments. In Prague, a Krejčíková-Havlíčková clash promises an all-Czech showdown. In Hamburg, Oliynykova will try to build on her hard-fought first-round survival.
