World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit to play in Livesport Prague Open
16th July 2022
Anett Kontaveit will be in Prague for July’s
Livesport Prague Open 2022. The 26-year-old Estonian accepted a Wild Card from
the tournament organisers reserved for a player in the WTA’s Top 20 and will be
the highest ranked player of the tournament.
“We are very excited about her participation,”
said tournament director Miroslav Malý, “the WTA ranking of participating
players is important for every tournament organiser.”
Six-time WTA tournament winner Kontaveit will
try to regain her form in the tournament in Prague. Despite being ranked No. 2
in the world, a career high for her, she has struggled in recent months. She
started the season strong, winning the title in Saint Petersburg and playing in
the final in Doha, but since making the quarter-finals in Stuttgart in April,
she’s only won one match in four. She was knocked out of the French Open in the
first round and was beaten in straight sets by German Jule Niemeier (4-6, 0-6)
in Wimbledon, despite being a second seed.
This will be the WTA Ostrava 2021 winner’s first
hard court tournament since the Indian Wells Masters in March. Tournament
director Malý thinks that Kontaveit “could help attract fans to the tournament
alongside elite domestic players.”
Kontaveit will be the highest seeded player of
the tournament, ahead of last year's winner Barbora Krejčíková. Swiss player Belinda
Bencic will be the third seed, whilst Petra Kvitová will be fourth seed.
Czech players Tereza Martincová, Marie Bouzková
and Karolína Muchová will also feature in the Livesport Prague Open as will the
winners of the last two Junior French Opens – Lucie Havlíčková and Linda
Nosková, who were both awarded Wild Cards.
The 13th edition of the traditional tournament
in the Czech capital will take place on the concrete tennis courts of the
Sparta Prague Tennis Club between July 25 and 31.
Photo: LIVESPORT PRAGUE OPEN / Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)
