The WTA tournament in Prague, which is due to start with qualification in a few days, has had a star announcement – Barbora Strýcová will join forces with
World No. 2 Simona Halep for doubles.
“Barbora Strýcová has confirmed she will be participating, and Simona Halep has also confirmed she
will feature. She should arrive In Prague no later than Friday. Both players also confirmed they will
feature alongside each other in doubles,” said tournament director David Trunda during
Wednesday’s press conference.
The two players will play together on the tennis courts for the very first time in their careers.
There is also good news for Kristýna Plíšková, who has moved directly into the main tournament and
will not take part in qualification. The change took place due to players withdrawing from the
tournament. “Kristýna Plíšková will start in the main phase due to players withdrawing from the
tournament in recent days,” said Trunda. “We are also counting on awarding wild cards to other
Czech players, but those will be judged according to the situation later,” he added.
The organizers expect to have a full entry list by Friday afternoon – that’s when qualification will be
drawn, and the remaining cards awarded.
Meanwhile, World No. 20 Maria Sakkari withdrew from the competition due to travel concerns
caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Her withdrawal was mainly due to travel concerns. The situation around the world changes every
day,” said the director of Prague Open, David Trunda, during the press conference.
In addition to Sakkari, Iga Swiatek, Anett Kontaveit and Alison Van Uytvank have also withdrawn
from the tournament.
