In addition to progressing to the semi-finals, Linda Nosková also enjoyed a move into the top 100 of the world rankings
On the other hand, Anett Kontaveitová from Estonia ended up seeded number one at the Prague tournament. The world number two lost clearly to Russia’s Anastasia Potapova twice 1:6. Tournament number seven Potapova will next challenge Poland’s Magdalena Linette or China’s Wang Chiang.
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Coach Tomáš Krupa’s protégé Nosková had an excellent start to the match against Barbora Krejčíková, Hibinová’s conqueror from the second round, and led 4:0 after two breaks. After that, she also lost her serve twice, but from 4:3, the 112th player of the world won the remaining game and won the first set.
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Linda Nosková advanced to the semi-finals of the Livesport Prague OpenPhoto: Michal Kamaryt, CTK
Hibinová, who is ranked 251st in the world, requested a medical break in the second set at 2:1 and had her back massaged for a long time. However, she continued to have difficulties with her serve, losing three games in a row and withdrawing from the match.
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Nosková advanced in Prague after a scratch for the second time, Russia’s Natalia Vichlancevová did not finish against her in the opening round. Thanks to her participation in the semi-finals for the first time, the young Czech secured a move into the top 100 of the WTA rankings for the first time.
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In the afternoon, Nosková will face her doubles quarterfinal with Lucía Havlíčková. They will challenge the Russian couple Angelina Gabuyeva, Anastasia Zakharova.
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Nao Hibin has struggled with health problemsPhoto: Michal Kamaryt, CTK
A debacle for the world number two
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Twenty-one-year-old Potapova defeated Kontaveitova for the first time in her career and after two previous defeats. She also avenged her defeat in the semi-finals a week ago in Hamburg. The native of Saratov, Russia, has not yet lost a set in Prague.
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Lucie Havlíčková’s defeater from the 2nd round, Kontaveitová lost her serve five times in the match, on the contrary, she did not develop a single break point opportunity. Her defeat was always decided by the beginning of the sets, she lost 0:4 in both. Potapova advanced after 51 minutes of play.
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“My opponent played great. It wasn’t me mentally or physically today. I was tired. I played last week too and I think it affected me. I definitely didn’t play my best tennis today. All the credit goes to my opponent. I can’t even say that would surprise me with something in the match. If I was in my shoes, the whole thing would look different,” Kontaveitová told reporters.
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