Two days after falling into the third division of German women’s tennis, Laura Siegemund avoided disappointment at the WTA tournament in Stuttgart.
After being one set down, the local hero fought her way to a 4:6, 7:6 (7:4), 6:1 against the Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomowa and still lived up to her role as favorite in the first round. “I had my problems. If you don’t play well, you have to fight. That’s what I did,” said the 38-year-old.
Siegemund achieves an unusual feat in the tiebreak
On the first day of the high-class clay court tournament, thanks to a strange end to the second section, the match developed in favor of the currently best German tennis player. After a botched start to the tiebreak, the Metzinger came back with seven points in a row despite being 4-0 down and also unnerved her opponent with her stop balls.
Previously, last year’s Wimbledon quarter-finalist and Stuttgart winner from 2017 had started the match incorrectly and had difficulty finding her rhythm. The first two rounds were characterized by ups and downs. The third sentence, however, became a clear matter.
Siegemund now wants to annoy top player Swiatek
Tomowa (31) failed to qualify, but after being rejected as a lucky loser, he made it into the main field of the indoor tournament. In the round of 16, Siegemund now faces a much more difficult task against the four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek from Poland.
When the tennis women were relegated again in the Billie Jean King Cup, the Swabian, like Eva Lys and Tatjana Maria, was missing last week. She explained her rejection with thigh problems that she had to cure.
Four other Germans are represented as outsiders in the Stuttgart field. Ella Seidel, Lys and Tamara Korpatsch are challenged on Tuesday, Noma Noha Akugue doesn’t start until Wednesday.
