Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova beat Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 6-4 in hour and 34 minutes in the opening Centre Court at the Adelaide International.
Pavlyuchenkova has improved to 2-0 in her head-to-head matches against Haddad Maia after beating the Brazilian player in Hong Kong last season. The Russian player has won her 73rd top 20 win in her long career.
Pavlyuchenkova earned her first break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead and held on her next service games to win the second set 6-3.
Pavlyuchenkova broke serve in the first game of the second set. Haddad Maia broke straight back to draw level to 1-1. Pavlyuchenkova earned her second break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Haddad Maia saved three match points in the ninth game to hold serve after three deuces for 4-5. Pavlyuchenkova served out the win on her fourth match point.
Anna Kalinskaya edged past Barbora Krejcikova 7-5 3-6 7-5. Kalinskaya has improved to 2-0 in her head-to-head matches against Krejcikova after beating 2021 Roland Garros champion Krejcikova in Guadalajara in 2022.
Kalinskaya earned three match points on Krejcikova’s serve when she was leading 6-5 in the decisive set and converted her third opportunity to seal the win.
“It was a great match. Krejcikova is a great fighter. She plays incredible tennis. She knows how to hit every shot. She made the match very complicated. I am happy that I won. I am happy to be getting back in shape and to play better tennis every day”, said Kalinskaya.
Bernarda Pera came back from a set down to beat wild card Paula Badosa 3-6 6-2 6-3 under two hours. Badosa was playing her first match since Wimbledon after being sidelined by a stress fracture in her back.
Badosa earned a break in the second game to open up a 2-0 lead. Pera broke straight back in the third game and held serve at 30 in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Badosa broke for the second time in the sixth game to seal the first set 6-3.
Pera earned a break in the second game of the second set with a series of forehand down the line to take a 2-0 lead and closed it out with a double break in the eighth game.
Pera missed two break points in the second game of the third set. Badosa broke serve in the third game to take a 3-1 lead. Pera reeled off five consecutive games to clinch the third set 6-3 setting up a second round match against Jessica Pegula.
Badosa hit 28 winners to 17 unforced errors and saved 12 of the 17 break points she faced.
Ana Bogdan beat Katie Boulter 6-3 6-4. Bogdan saved four break points in the first set before earning her first break point in the eighth game. She served out the first set 6-3 in the next game.
Boulter opened up a 2-0 lead to take a 2-0 lead in the second set. Bogdan fought back by winning four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to take a 4-2 lead and sealed the win on her third match point.
Spanish lucky loser Cristina Bucsa beat Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-3 in 1 hour and 34 minutes. Bucsa set up a second round match against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Both players held their first service game before five consecutive breaks. Bucsa went up a break twice in the third and fifth games, but Paolini broke straight back to draw level to 3-3. Bucsa held her serve in the eighth game before breaking on her second set point to win the first set 6-3 after 46 minutes. Paolini did not convert a break point in the first game before saving two break points from 15-40 down to hold serve at deuce. Bucsa broke twice in the fourth and sixth games to open up a 5-1 lead. Paolini pulled one break back in the seventh game, but Bucsa served out the win on her first match point after 48 minutes.
