A bad start in each of the sets weighed down the Castellón-born Sara Sorribes in her debut against the Italian Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Linz WTA, a duel that she lost 6-3, 5-7 and 6-4.
Sorribes arrived in the Austrian city after completing a good tournament in Ostrava (Czech Republic), where she reached the quarterfinals, a round in which she fell against the then champion of the tournament, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
For Giorgi, 75 in the world, the Linz tournament is the first he has played after losing in the first round of Roland Garros to his compatriot Martina Trevisan.
In the first match between the two, the most aggressive game of the transalpina prevailed, which in the two sets immediately put distance (3-0).
In the second set, Sorribes, the only Spanish who signed up for this tournament with 202,250 euros in prizes, reacted and was able to level the contest, but Giorgi was mentally stronger in the third.
Giorgi will face in the second round against the winner of the duel between Argentina's Nadia Podoroska and Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu.
Sabalenka and Zvonareva reach the eighth
First seed Arina Sabalenka from Belarus and Vera Zvonareva from Russia reached the last 16 of the Linz tournament after meeting their respective first-round commitments.
Sabalenka, winner this year in Doha and Ostrava and who has accumulated seven titles in her career, beat the Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-4 and 6-4 and met the Swiss Stefanie Voegele who beat the Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova by 7 -6 (3) and 6-3.
Veteran Zvonareva, who became the second player in the world and played the final of this competition in 2008, also progressed in the picture. She beat the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (6-4 and 6-2) and her opponent will come out of the clash between the Belgian Elise Mertens, second seeded, and the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalnina.
The Dutch Arantxa Rus also progressed who had no problems against the Slovenian Tamara Zidansek (6-4 and 6-2) and who will play against the winner of the match between the Russian Veronika Kudermetova, fifth seed, and the Austrian Barbara Haas.
The Croatian Jana Fett, who benefited from the withdrawal of the Czech Terreza Martincova with the score 6-3 and 3-1, will be the opponent of the Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Austrian Julia Grabher also retired, injured, when she won 3-2 in the first set. That gave the pass to the Romanian Sorana Cirstea, who will face the winner of the match between the Swiss Jil Teichmann, seventh seed, and the French Oceane Dodin.
The Italian Camila Giorgi left the Spanish Sara Sorribes out of the tournament in a clash resolved in three sets (6-3, 5-7 and 6-4). The winner of the match between Argentina's Nadia Podoroska, sixth seeded, and Romanian Irina Camelia Begu will play in the second round.
The Czech Barbora Krecjikova needed three sets to eliminate the French Harmony Tan (6-3, 5-7 and 6-2) and meet the Belgian Greet Minnen.