Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand defeated Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(6) in the second round of the Livesport Prague Open on Thursday.
The match was played at the WTA 250 event in Prague. Tararudee won the first set in a tiebreak. Bartunkova, the fourth seed, took the second set 6-3.
In the deciding set, Bartunkova led 5-1 and served for the match. Tararudee recovered to force a second tiebreak. She won the tiebreak 7-6(6) to take the match.
Tararudee advanced to the quarterfinals. She is scheduled to face Daria Snigur in the next round.
The contest lasted more than three hours. Tararudee received medical treatment during the match for a leg issue. She continued play after the medical timeout.
Tararudee is ranked No. 82 in the world. Bartunkova is ranked No. 44. This was the first meeting between the two players on the main tour.
Bartunkova had advanced to the second round with a win over Yue Yuan. Tararudee entered the tournament as the Thai No. 1 player. The Prague Open is held on outdoor hard courts.
Tararudee’s win moved her into the last eight of the event. Both players held serve at a high rate through much of the match. Break points were converted on both sides in the later stages. Tararudee completed the victory on her first match point opportunity in the final tiebreak. The result sends her further into the draw at the Czech tournament.