Australian wildcard Priscilla Hon came back from a set and a break down to beat Petra Kvitova 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-2 after 2 hours and 19 minutes in the first round at the Adelaide International.
Hon scored her first win over a top 20 player. She hit 46 winners to 21 unforced errors. The Australian player was playing her first WTA main draw match since Lyon 2020. She was sidelined for 14 months by a hip injury during the pandemic. She fell to number 263 from her career-high 118.
Hon dropped just one point on her first serve until the tie-break. The first set went on serve with no break points until the tie-break, when Kvitova earned her mini-break with a first serve return.
Kvitova earned the first break of the match in the sixth game of the second set to take a 4-2 lead. Hon broke straight back in the seventh game to draw level to 4-4. Hon broke serve in the 11th game after four deuces to take a 6-5 lead. The Australian player sealed the second set 7-5 on her third set point after three deuces when Kvitova netted a backhand.
Hon won 13 of the first 18 points to open up a 4-0 lead with two breaks of serve and sealed the win on her fourth match point in the eighth game after a wide backhand from Kvitova.
“I can’t explain how much I have been waiting for this moment. I was injured for almost a year, so I was even more pumped to come out on tour and focus on what I have been wanting to do for the past couple of years. I am pretty proud about how I held up at the end. I have been working really hard on that and staying calm. Obviously top players don’t give it to you, so you have really got to work hard for it”, said Hon.
Hon will face the winner of the Indian Wells final re-match between Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka.
