19-year-old Ukrainian tennis player Elizaveta Kotlyar won her debut victory in the main draw of the WTA tournament. In the opening match of the WTA 250 tournament in Rabat, the Ukrainian sensationally defeated the representative of Great Britain, Francesca Jones.
Elizaveta Kotlyar is a Ukrainian tennis player, currently ranked 528th in the WTA world rankings. The 19-year-old player entered the main draw of the WTA 250 tournament in Rabat thanks to a wildcard from the organizers. The match of the 1/16 tournament in Rabat was only the third in Kotlyar's career in the main draw of a WTA tournament, including challengers (WTA 125). However, Elizaveta has not won a single match so far.
Kotlyar's first opponent was the 105th racket of the world, Britain's Francesca Jones. In the first set, the Ukrainian was defeated with a score of 2:6, but in the second game she was able to restore parity. In a super-tight set with five breaks, the Ukrainian's serve game became decisive, which she closed “to zero” – 6:3.
The third set, however, began with Jones' four-game surge. However, Elizaveta was able to make a comeback, winning the next six (!) games in a row. Thus, the Ukrainian was able to win in 2:22 hours and advance to the second round of the tournament in Rabat.
WTA 250. Rabat (Morocco). Round of 16
Francesca Jones (Great Britain) — Elizaveta Kotlyar (Ukraine) 1:2 (6:2, 3:6, 4:6)
Kotlyar's next opponent in Rabat will be the tournament's sixth seed, Croatian Petra Marcinko. The match will take place on Wednesday, May 20, no earlier than 12:00.