Poland’s Magda Linette upset seventh-seeded Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3, to highlight Sunday’s first-round action on the clay at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France.
Linette, whose serve was broken just once, advanced to face Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in Tuesday’s play at this WTA 500 event. Sramkova handled Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-4.
It was the first match in more than six months for Krejcikova, the two-time Grand Slam winner, due to a back injury.
Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova, the No. 8 seed, also moved to the Round of 16 with a 6-1, 7-5 defeat of Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova. The eighth-seeded Samsonova will face France’s Diane Parry, who knocked off Leylah Fernandez of Canada 7-5, 7-6 (3).
The top four seeds — Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Spain’s Paula Badosa and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan — open play in Tuesday’s Round of 16.
–Field Level Media
