Gauff, Swiatek, Sabalenka win at Eastbourne; Pliskova ousted
Fourth-seeded Iga Swiatek battled back to defeat home favourite Heather Watson in three sets and earn her first career main draw win on grass Tuesday at the Viking International in Eastbourne.
Swiatek won 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5 after trailing 4-1 in the deciding set during a packed day of first-round matches at the Wimbledon warmup tournament after a full washout Monday.
“I have a love-hate relationship with grass, so winning will give me more confidence, especially against such an experienced player,” said Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion playing just her fourth tournament on grass.
While Swiatek avoided an upset, defending champion Karolina Pliskova couldn’t do the same. The former No. 1 player lost to Camila Giorgi 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. The Italian qualifier was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2018.
The fifth-seeded Pliskova, from the Czech Republic, won the title at Eastbourne in 2017 and 2019. Last year’s event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka reached the second round by defeating Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-4.
