Caroline Garcia and Petra Kvitova made it past the first round in Berlin

the french Caroline Garciathird seed, and the Czech Petra Kvitovaseventh, this Monday surpassed the first round of the WTA 500 tournament in Berlinby defeating the German Sabine Lisicki and the Czech Karolina Pliskova.

Garcia She beat Lisicki 7-6 (2) and 6-3 in 90 minutes in a server duel. With this victory, the Frenchwoman was put 3-1 ahead in their direct confrontations.

The French, number 4 in the world, and Lisicki, a former Wimbledon finalist, each hit 15 aces in the match. It was the first time two players hit 15 or more aces in a match since Karolina Pliskova’s win over Naomi Osaka in the Brisbane 2020 semifinals, the WTA reported.

The combined 30 aces tied for the second-highest total in a match this year, second only to Veronika Kudermetova’s first-round victory over Victoria Azarenka at the Adelaide-2 tournament. In that three-set match, Kudermetova hit 20 aces and Azarenka added 11 for a total of 31.

Kvitova she defeated her compatriot Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-4 in her debut and added her first victory in two months.

Since she won her thirtieth individual title in Miami in April, Kvitova has not been able to win a match. He withdrew in Rome due to a foot injury and lost his first matches in Madrid and Roland Garros.

Back on the grass in Berlin, Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, regained her winning ways by defeating Pliskova, the former world number 1, in a duel between Top 20 players that lasted a hour and 15 minutes. Kvitova now has a 4-2 head-to-head advantage.

Pliskova, number 18 in the world, is still reeling from her own losing streak. They have lost their last four matches. Her most recent win came against racehorse Donna Vekic in Stuttgart in April.

certainly Vekic was another of the winners on Monday in Berlin. She defeated Russian Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 6-2 in just an hour and a half.