Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova kicked off her grass-court season with a dominant victory at the Berlin Open. The 24-year-old Czech dispatched Spaniard Rebeka Masarova 6-4, 6-3 and advances to face Russia's Anna Kalinskaya.
This win extends Vondrousova's grass-court winning streak to eight matches, following her historic unseeded Wimbledon triumph last year. She overcame early challenges in the first set, saving three break points before taking control and serving it out. Vondrousova carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Masarova's serve twice and securing the win.
The Berlin Open boasts a strong field, with eight of the world's top 10 competing. Top seed Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini are the only absentees. The coming days will see exciting matchups, including Naomi Osaka facing Zheng Qinwen, Maria Sakkari taking on Victoria Azarenka, and Ons Jabeur battling Wang Xinyu.
Upsets Shake Up Birmingham Classic
Meanwhile, at the Birmingham Classic, Jelena Ostapenko's title defense came to an abrupt end. The former French Open champion fell to 23-year-old Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets. Ostapenko struggled with her serve throughout the match, dropping it three times in the first set and once in the second.
Sorana Cirstea, the tournament's third seed, also suffered an upset defeat to Lin Zhu. These early exits leave Barbora Krejcikova and Katie Boulter as the highest-ranked seeds remaining.
Boulter, fresh off her Nottingham Open title defense, opens her campaign against Anhelina Kalinina. Other British players like Harriet Dart, Heather Watson, and Amelia Rajecki will also be in action on Tuesday.
Leylah Fernandez and Anastasia Potapova secured convincing victories to advance in the tournament.