EASTBOURNE, England — Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova saved two match points on British opponent Harriet Dart’s serve before rallying to win her opening match Tuesday at the grass-court Eastbourne Open.
Dart was 40-15 up on serve leading 5-4 in the decisive third set of a rain-affected round-of-32 match that second-seeded Krejcikova went on win 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5.
It was just the second victory this year for the 17th-ranked Krejcikova, whose season didn’t start until May because of a back injury.
The 29-year-old Czech player came to Eastbourne for her final warmup before beginning the defence of her Wimbledon title next week. She lost in the first round at her previous grass-court event at Queen’s Club in London.
Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, dropped the first set on her way to a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 win over Ann Li of the United States. The seventh-seeded British player next faces Australian teenager Maya Joint, who on Monday eliminated Ons Jabeur, the two-time Wimbledon beaten finalist from Tunisia.
Sofia Kenin, the fourth-seeded American, lost her opening match 6-4, 6-4 against Kimberly Birrell, the 77th-ranked Australian.
