GSTAAD, Switzerland – 16-year-old Rebeka Masarova brought the sunshine to a rainy week at the Ladies Championship Gstaad, recovering from a set down to defeat former World No.1 and No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, to capture a win in her WTA main draw debut.
“I feel amazing,” she said after the match. “I prepared so well mentally and physically for this. I was so happy to play this match; I knew it’d be a good experience, but I wanted to win, and I’m glad I did!”
Masarova first turned heads a few weeks ago in Paris when she knocked out the top two junior seeds to win the junior French Open title. The feat earned her a wildcard into her debut WTA main draw appearance, one that was delayed thanks to multiple rain delays but finally got underway on Thursday.
“I resolved not to make too many mistakes, and was focused on what I had to do. I realized what she was doing to me; she was playing a lot to my backhand, and I had to play to her forehand. It wasn’t about winning the point anymore, it was about not missing. But when I had the opportunity to make a point, I did.”
The Swiss youngster will have the chance to go one better against Anett Kontaveit, who was among the event’s earliest winners with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Maria Sakkari all the way back on Monday.
Former World No.7 Patty Schnyder was Gstaad’s other wildcard entrant into Gstaad, but the veteran’s first WTA main draw appearance since 2011 didn’t go as planned as she fell to Katerina Siniakova, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.
“A couple points, and it could have gone either way. I wasn’t the luckiest, either,” Schnyder said after the match. “But we also have to talk about how tough it was to wait with the rain and to play in that wet and cold weather. It was a struggle for both, I know, but for my game, it’s helpful when the ball bounces high and it’s not too heavy. Normally I’d find these conditions in Gstaad, but not with the rain!”
Schnyder appeared in control before the rain interrupted their first round encounter, and though the Swiss star moved ahead by a break upon the resumption, Siniakova proved too strong in the end, serving out a narrow victory in just under two and a half hours.
“I could play the rallies, but just missing out on some important points. She’s also one who can play, pick the corners, run and defend. So I really had to play and make the rallies. Maybe some other conditions might have helped my balls be more effective, but it was the same for both.”
Despite the defeat, the comeback kid was feeling optimistic about how she fared against a WTA field – having played almost exclusively on the ITF Circuit since her comeback began last summer – and is looking forward to improving and getting the chance to challenge herself again.
“I’m a little bit disappointed still because I was enjoying being here, and to lose two tight sets is tough. But I’ll go on; I’m still having fun and it’s not that I feel like I have to quit or have heaps to work on. It’s just small things I have to work on that’ll help me win these kinds of matches.”
