UPDATED: Former champion Karolina Pliskova has avoided a first-round shock in her Brisbane International 2019 opener, fighting back to deny dogged Kazakhstani, Yulia Putintseva, in two hours and 18 minutes on Monday.
The Czech former world No.1 trailed a set and a break before finding her range to secure the 4-6 6-3 6-4 result on the back of 42 winners to her opponent’s 26.
In the final day match on Pat Rafter Arena on Monday, No.6 seed Kiki Bertens eked out a hard-fought 6-2 6-7(6) 6-4 win over good friend, Elise Mertens, of Belgium.
Pliskova will face her compatriot, Marie Bouzkova, or Australia’s Sam Stosur for a quarter-final berth, while Bertens will take on Donna Vekic after the Croatian’s easy win over Magdalena Rybarikova.
“Even though I played a lot of points here this week, still, the match is completely different, so there is different tension than in the practice,” Pliskova said.
“So I’ll just have to get used to it a little bit, to find the rhythm.
“I found it, I think the … second half of the match was pretty solid.”
“I feel good on this court so there is no reason that I can’t repeat what I did here two years ago” —2017 champ @KaPliskova #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/4bluXeUeQ9
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) December 31, 2018
The 44th-ranked Putintseva’s speed and baseline aggression had the No.5 seed on the ropes at 6-4 3-1 in the first Pat Rafter Arena match of the 2019 event.
Pliskova, though, had beaten the Kazakhstani at the same stage two years ago en route to the title and steadied to reel off five straight games to level the match before going on to serve out the result on her first match point when Putintseva fired long.
“I felt I had it in my hands, so if I tried to play a little more stable, not miss that much,” she said.
“I felt like I could still get my chances, and I did and then I break two times in the second set and one break in the third set was enough.
Game, set and match to 2017 #BrisbaneTennis champ @KaPliskova, a 4-6 6-3 6-4 effort in two hours, 18 minutes over Yulia Putintseva in the 1R.
Will meet Stosur-Bouzkova winner in 2R pic.twitter.com/1DrwVgigKf
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) December 31, 2018
“I feel good on this court, so there is no reason why I cannot repeat what I did two years ago. I feel it’s pretty fast, which is important for my game.
“I can hit some aces, which I did today, and if I play aggressive there is a chance that I am going to make a lot of points.”
Earlier, 2013 Brisbane semi-finalist Lesia Tsurenko was the first player through to the second round after a 6-0 6-2 trouncing of Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu.