Gasanovová – Karolína Plíšková 6: 2, 6: 4, Plíšková dropped out in Abu Dhabi with a Russian outsider, Muchová did not play

In the past four years, Plíšková has started the season three times with a tournament triumph in the popular Brisbane, where it is not played this year due to coronavirus. In the United Arab Emirates, under the leadership of new coach Sascha Bajin, she has far from succeeded.

In the first round, the world six eliminated the Greek Despina Papamichail, but she was no longer enough for another opponent from the third hundred WTA rankings. After succeeding in qualifying, Gasanov made her debut in the main competition on the elite circuit and today scored the most valuable win in her career. Twenty-one-year-old Russia competed against the top 100 player for the first time and immediately succeeded.

In the first set, she deprived Plíšková of two introductory services, she did not let the former world number one go to the only breakball and in 6 minutes she won 6: 2. Plíšková worked out five breakballs in the fourth game of the second set, but did not use any. She immediately lost the serve, but equalized the net play in the service of the opponent to 4: 4. Then, however, she did not keep her service again, and Gasanov subsequently changed the third matchword during her service.

Plíšková lost for the first time since September 2019 to her opponent, who is not in the top fifty of the world rankings.

On Thursday, Muchová entered the season with a 6: 4, 6: 1 victory over Danka Koviničová from Montenegro. On Friday, she managed the opening match in the doubles competition alongside Markéta Vondroušová, in which she will not continue either. The singles are without Czech participation.

Karlovic scored a historic victory

Croatian Ivo Karlovic became the oldest tennis player since 1995, winning the ATP Tour. The top player on the circuit, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday at the end of February, defeated the seventh-placed Spaniard Pablo Andújar 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 4 at the start of the season in the first round in Delray Beach. He helped 27 aces to win.

“Almost every match I win now goes down in history,” said Karlovic. He defeated an opponent ranked in the world rankings by almost 100 places after two hours and 18 minutes.

To advance to the quarterfinals, Karlovič, who won the title in Delray Beach in 2015, will play against Ecuadorian qualifier Robert Quiros. The nephew of the former Roland Garros winner Andrés Gómez defeated the American Noah Rubin 7: 6, 6: 3 and at the age of 28 he scored only his second victory on the ATP circuit.

Anisimov does not play in Abu Dhabi due to coronavirus infection

Nineteen-year-old American tennis player Amanda Anisimova became infected with coronavirus. Last year’s semifinalist Roland Garros had to cancel her participation in the first tournament of the season in Abu Dhabi. The information about her positive test was confirmed by the 30th player in the world rankings on the instagram.

“I want to play,” she wrote with a crying emoticon. Due to Covid-19, her participation in the Australian Open may also be endangered, where she premiered in 2019 in 2019. Participants in the first grand slam of the season must arrive in Melbourne in mid-January and enter a two-week quarantine. The Australian Open will begin on February 8.

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