After having her Wednesday match cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions at the Wuhan Open, tenth seed Dominika Cibulkova has secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a straightforward 6-2, 6-2, win over Karolina Pliskova.
The Slovakian enjoyed the easy path with the help of her opponents inconsistent play. US Open runner-up Pliskova produced 11 aces in the match, but only managed to win 35% (9/26) of her second serves against the heavy hitting Cibulkova. In both sets the tenth seed managed to grab back-to-back breaks to seal the victory in just 74 minutes.
“This was my first match on Center Court against such a big-serving player. It was tough to play but I was really focused, mentally ready, and playing my good tennis. I’m really happy to be into the quarterfinals here.” Cibulkova said during her on court interview.
Cibulkova will play her next match later on Thursday against world No.21 Barbora Strycova. The Czech player was broken three consecutive times in the deciding set by former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic, but managed to claw her way back to win 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, and reach her first WTA quarterfinal since Stanford.
“You have to find the motivation all the time if you want to compete and bring a good level. The first set wasn’t really the way I wanted to play. I didn’t move well, so I started to move better, put more balls into the court. That helped me get my rhythm.” The 30-year-old said about her performance.
“At the end, I was able to win a few more points than her, and that made the difference.”
The quarter-final encounter between Cibulkova and Strycova will be their first meeting on the tour.
“It’s going to be another tough match.” Cibulkova said about playing Strycova. “A different opponent for me today. I just want to get ready and keep going. Two matches in one day is not easy.”
The upcoming clash will not take place before 20:00 local time (GMT +8).
