A young fan takes cover under an umbrella as rain stops play during the opening day of the Qatar Total Open 2019 at the Khalifa Tennis Complex yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin/ The Peninsula
Rain yesterday caused several delays to the final round of qualifying matches on day one of the Qatar Total Open at the Khalifa Tennis Complex.
Before the rain arrived, Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic beat Polona Hercog of Slovenia in straight sets to reach the second round of the six-day tournament. Tomljanovic won 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 46 minutes on the Center Court.
Croatian-born Australian Tomljanovic, still without a WTA Tour title, fired two aces in her hard-fought win. Tomljanovic broke Hercog - who won the French Open in 2008 playing doubles with Jessica Moore - in games two and four in the first set and then and a couple more breaks in the second saw the 25-year-old take the match.
In another qualifying match, Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic beat Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in three sets. Muchova won 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in 1 hour 46 minutes on Court Number 1. Muchova fired 6 aces in her gutsy win. Muchova, 22, broke her opponent twice in the first set and then another three times in the decider.
