2020 Prague

Prague 2020: Story of the tournament

From Simona Halep's early round battles en route to her second straight title to Irina-Camelia Begu's series of rolling epics, all the best pictures from the 2020 Prague Open.

01 /52
World No.2 Simona Halep makes her return to WTA competition this week at the Prague Open, her first tournament since winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in February.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

02 /52
The two-time Grand Slam champion hit the courts over the weekend ahead of her tournament debut in the Czech capital.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

03 /52
Speaking of debuts, former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard is officially debuting alongside a new coach this week in Prague - former doubles World No.1 Rennae Stubbs.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

04 /52
With Dayana Yastremska's pre-tournament withdrawal, Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova was elevated to the No.9 seed in the main draw.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

05 /52
Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk won a thrilling 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 second-round qualifying match on Sunday over Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

06 /52
Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse had one of the most dramatic wins of Sunday's qualifying, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a 3 hour, 15-minute marathon.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

07 /52
Sasnovich, a quarterfinalist out of qualifying last week in Palermo, had three match points and led 5-2 in the third set before falling, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3).

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

08 /52
16-year-old qualifying wildcard Barbora Palicova, playing her first ever pro tournament, caused a stir by defeating Ellen Perez and taking a set lead on former World No.23 Lesia Tsurenko.

Photo by @tennispragueopen TK Sparta Praha/Pavel Lebeda

09 /52
However, Tsurenko - who had scored an impressive 6-3, 6-2 win over Oceane Dodin in the first qualifying round - rebounded to defeat Palicova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, before qualifying by edging Magdalena Frech in two tiebreaks.

Photo by @tennispragueopen TK Sparta Praha/Pavel Lebeda

10 /52
In Monday's final qualifying round, Mayar Sherif defeated Leonie Kung, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, becoming the first Egyptian woman to reach a WTA main draw since 1999 (Marwa Elwany) and second overall.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

11 /52
Arriving on court in a mask, as a part of the new normal as tournaments have resumed, Kostyuk had a perfect day to qualify: beating Aussie Storm Sanders, 6-0, 6-0.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

12 /52
Though she's not competing this week in Prague, former champion Petra Kvitova was in a jovial mood while taking part in some media interviews on Monday.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

13 /52
Laura Siegemund took part in the tournament's Opening Ceremony which included a tribute to people affected by coronavirus.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

14 /52
Speeches were made by tournament director David Trunda, WTA Tournament Relations Director Fabrizio Sestini (pictured) and Ivo Kaderka, president of the Czech Tennis Federation at the Opening Ceremony.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

15 /52
On a Monday ravaged by rain, Bouchard was the lone main-draw winner, dispatching No.8 seed Veronika Kudermetova with ease.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

16 /52
The Canadian saved all five break points she faced and broke serve four times in the 6-0, 6-3 victory.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

17 /52
In a match against 15-year-old compatriot Linda Fruhvirtova, that was suspended twice for rain before being called off for rain, Kristyna Pliskova encapsulated Monday's overall mood.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

18 /52
Prior to her first match of the tournament, Sevastova sported a color-coordinated mask to her Yonex kit.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

19 /52
On a Tuesday when four seeds fell, Irina-Camelia Begu was dominant in a 6-2, 6-2 upset of the Latvian, leveling their overall head-to-head at 3-3.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

20 /52
No.2 seed Petra Martic shook off injury concerns after a semifinal showing in Palermo last week to win Tuesday's first match on Center Court.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

21 /52
In her first career match against a Top 20 player, Russia's Varvara Gracheva was a stern test for Martic in a 7-6(2), 6-3 opener.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

22 /52
No.3 seed Elise Mertens earned her first win of the restart in marathon fashion, needing 2h41m to dispatch Italy's Jasmine Paolini.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

23 /52
Paolini, who defeated Daria Kasatkina in a three-hour marathon in Palermo last week, came up just short in her upset bid against Mertens.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

24 /52
15-year-old Fruhvirtova made a strong impression against the veteran Pliskova in a match that began on Monday and ended on Tuesday, falling 6-2, 7-5.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

25 /52
No.6 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, playing her first match since Dubai in February, was another seed to fall in her opener.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

26 /52
The Russian was beaten by Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, 7-5, 6-2, marking the Dutchwoman's second victory over a Top 30 player in the past eight years.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

27 /52
In other upset bids, Polona Hercog gave Halep all she could handle in the first round.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

28 /52
Needing seven match points and two-and-a-half hours to win, Halep ultimately advanced to the second round with a 6-1, 1-6, 7-6(3) victory.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

29 /52
Roaring back from a set down - and a 3-0 deficit in the third - against Kostyuk in the first round was Camila Giorgi, who finished off the win in a decisive tiebreak, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).

Photo by @tennispragueopen TK SPARTA PRAHA / Pavel Lebeda

30 /52
The highest-ranked Czech in the draw, No.7 seed Barbora Strycova, was not immune to the upset bug either.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

31 /52
Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo battled back from a 0-5 deficit in the first set to score a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

32 /52
Eugenie Bouchard’s positive run continued with a victory over Tamara Zidansek. After the opening two sets were shared following tiebreaks, the Canadian took the decider, 6-2.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

33 /52
Sara Sorribes Tormo secured her place in the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 upset victory over Laura Siegemund.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

34 /52
Arantxa Rus fought back from losing the opening set to Magdalena Frech to square the match at 1-1.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

35 /52
WTA World No.174 Frech secured her place in the quarterfinals, however, as she claimed the final set, 6-4.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

36 /52
Simona Halep warms up for her last-16 encounter with Barbora Krejcikova.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

37 /52
The Wimbledon champion had a scare as she dropped the first set, but she ultimately prevailed by a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 margin.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

38 /52
Kristyna Pliskova’s quarterfinal with Ana Bogdan was cut short due to an injury suffered by the Romanian. Pliskova progressed, despite trailing 5-2 in the opening set.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

39 /52
Elise Mertens will face Pliskova in the semifinals after winning a battle with Eugenie Bouchard that went all the way.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

40 /52
Bouchard hit 33 winners to 30 unforced errors in going down the Belgian.

Photo by Getty Images

41 /52
Irina-Camelia Begu's second round was called off with the Romanian down a set to Leonie Kung - but the next day she rebounded to win an epic before taking a set lead over Sara Sorribes Tormo in the quarterfinals before that was also halted due to light.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

42 /52
Top seed Simona Halep made short work of Magdalena Frech as she moved through to the semifinals in exactly an hour with a 6-2, 6-0 victory.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

43 /52
Irina-Camelia Begu's series of rolling epics meant that for the second straight day the World No.82 began by finishing off a three-setter, this time a quarterfinal over Sara Sorribes Tormo, before returning later to start her next round.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

44 /52
Elise Mertens ended the run of the last home hope, Kristyna Pliskova, in the semifinals, edging two tight sets to reach her seventh career final, and first since Doha 2019.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

45 /52
Simona Halep was three times down a break in the first set against Irina-Camelia Begu in an all-Romanian semifinal, but eventually came back to overhaul her compatriot 7-6(2), 6-3.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

46 /52
There was more Romanian success in the doubles as Monica Niculescu and Raluca Olaru stunned two-time major champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in a match tiebreak in the semifinals to reach their first final as a team.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

47 /52
Czech second seeds Kristyna Pliskova and Lucie Hradecka (left) were champions on home soil after defeating Raluca Olaru and Monica Niculescu (right) 6-2, 6-2 in the doubles final.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

48 /52
It was the fifth WTA doubles title for Pliskova and the 24th for three-time Grand Slam doubles champion Lucie Hradecka, but their first as a team.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

49 /52
Elise Mertens was up a break in the first set and a game away from taking the second set, but was ultimately outplayed by Simona Halep in the final.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

50 /52
Simona Halep, who had lost the 2019 Doha final to Elise Mertens from a set and a break up, hit top form to hold off the Belgian and emerge a 6-2, 7-5 victor.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

51 /52
WTA Tournament Relations Director Fabrizio Sestini presents Prague champion Simona Halep with flowers in a special socially distanced trophy ceremony.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

52 /52
Simona Halep is now on a nine-match winning streak after winning her 21st trophy, having taken the title in both her last tournament before the tour shutdown - in Dubai in February - and her first tournament back.

Photo by Jimmie48/WTA

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