Iveta & Barbora Beaten By Fellow Czechs

Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka upset No.8 seeds Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the doubles first round.

Published May 25, 2011 07:38

Iveta & Barbora Beaten By Fellow Czechs
Lucie Hradecka, Andrea Hlavackova

PARIS, France - An all-Czech showdown on Wednesday resulted in the biggest upset of a French Open doubles first round in which 13 of the 16 seeded teams advanced.

Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka have posted impressive results in their careers together, highlighted by titles at Prague and Bad Gastein in 2008, Bad Gastein in 2009 and Brisbane in 2010. However, they were significant underdogs in their first round at Roland Garros, having lost their last three matches as a duo and going up against eighth-seeded Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova have eight titles in their careers together, including a WTA-leading three in 2011 - at Sydney, Monterrey and Barcelona. However, Hlavackova and Hradecka, who have never gone beyond the round of 16 at a major, defeated them rather comfortably, 64 61. The series between the teams is now knotted at 2-2, with Hlavackova and Hradecka's other win occurring in the second round of the Australian Open in 2010 and their losses in the semifinals of Prague in 2009 and in the second round of Wimbledon in 2010.

Also Wednesday, No.2 seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik routed Chang Kai-Chen and Chanelle Scheepers, No.3 seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova raised their record in Grand Slams to 13-0 to set up a clash on Thursday against Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva and No.5 seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko cruised past Alexandra Panova and Tatiana Poutchek.

"We won our doubles today," Azarenka tweeted. "Played against my teammate from Fed Cup, Poutchek. It's not easy to play against a friend, but that's tennis."

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