Plíšková Sails Past Strýcová to Reach Quarterfinals
Karolína Plíšková continues her smooth cruise through the Miami tournament. She hasn’t lost a single set so far and the last player to feel her form was her compatriot Barbora Strýcová. Karolína defeated her Fed Cup teammate 6-1, 6-4.
In her match against Strýcová, Karolína showed her best performance at the tournament so far. She took the first set in only 21 minutes, losing just two balls from 1:1 onwards. Strýcová absolutely couldn’t cope with the game of her more successful compatriot. “I showed a really good performance today. I hope my form will keep rising,” believes the Czech number one.
In the second set, Plíšková was already up by 5-2, with two broken serves in her hand. But Strýcová didn’t give up so easily. At 4-5 she had three break points, but didn’t manage to convert them and Plíšková held her serve to win 6-1, 6-4. “I’m glad I’ve won this in two sets. The end got very complicated,” Plíšková said contentedly.
Karolína and Barbora have played several Fed Cup matches together for the Czech Republic, and in doubles they even secured decisive points in the last two finals against Russia and France. “Playing against your compatriot is never easy. It’s tough mentally. We practice together quite often, we play Fed Cup. But I try not to think about it,” Karolína added after improving her this year’s record to 22-3.
Miami to See Czech Battle in Round of 16
Karolína Plíšková defeated Yulia Putintseva in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 in the third round in Miami. The match was interrupted by rain for a few hours after the first set, but this didn’t slow down the world No. 3, who will face her Fed Cup teammate Barbora Strýcová in the next round of this prestigious tournament.
The opening set was long tight, with the decisive break coming at its very end. Karolína grabbed the first set after one hour and seven minutes. Right at the start of the second set, a real downpour came and the match was interrupted. Nevertheless, Karolína returned in great temper after the break. “I wasn’t happy about the rain delay, of course, but I tried to stay positive. Then I warmed up again and felt good,” Karolína revealed after the match.
The second set was firmly in the Czech player’s hands, who won 6-3 and advanced to the round of 16. This also means she has already significantly improved her last year’s performance, when she was eliminated in the first round. In the round of 16, Karolína will play another Czech, Barbora Strýcová, and the spectators can thus look forward to an interesting encounter.
