For the second match in a row, Barbora Krejcikova had to save multiple match points before moving into the next round of the Eastbourne International.
The Czech second seed dug deep to oust British wildcard Jodie Burrage 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), after almost two-and-a-half hours of tennis. Krejcikova saved a trio of match points when behind 5-6 in the deciding set before battling through the tiebreaker which she ended by winning four consecutive points.
It is the first time this season that the 29-year-old has won back-to-back matches at a tournament. In the opening round, the reigning Wimbledon champion battled past another Brit in the shape of Harriet Dart in three sets. She missed the first five months of this year due to a back injury and Eastbourne is only the fourth tournament Krejcikova has played since her return.
“I’m very happy with the win,” said Krejcikova.
“Another tough match. The Brits, they know how to play on grass so it’s always difficult to play against them and especially also with the crowd.”
“Hopefully in the next match, I’m not playing a British player.
With her Grand Slam title defence set to begin in less than a week at SW19, Krejcikova is staying grounded about her expectations and is instead enjoying that she can play on the Tour again.
“Coming (back) after injuries, it’s difficult,” she explained.
“I was going through really difficult moments at the beginning of this year.
“I’m super happy I’m here and that I can enjoy the matches.”
Raducanu goes out in roller-coaster
Meanwhile, British No.1 Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the draw after suffering a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), loss to Australian 19-year-old Maya Joint. The former US Open champion demonstrated her fighting spirit by battling back from 2-5 down in the decider to draw level. Raducanu also broke back when down 5-6 but in the tiebreaker, she suffered back-to-back mini-breaks which gave Joint enough of a margin to claim her third win over a top 50 player.
“Today was really tough. There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of momentum switches. But I’m really glad that I was able to tough it out in the end,” said Joint.
It is the second time the duo has endured a tough battle against each other on the Tour. At the Italian Open in May, they also played a three-set encounter with Raducanu coming out on top on that occasion.
“I definitely remember that match,” Joint reflected on the Rome match.
“That was a fun match to play. So I was looking forward to today.
“It was a bit different because today’s on grass and that was on clay.
“We both had to change our games a little bit but I’m really glad I was able to win this one.”
Joint, who beat Ons Jabeur in the first round, is currently ranked 51st in the world. This time last year she was 172nd in the standings.
As for Raducanu, she heads into Wimbledon with a win-loss record of 3-2 on grass this season. Before Eastbourne, she reached the quarter-finals of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s.
