Aliona Bolsava started the Australian tour with good feelings and a resounding victory over the Indian Ankita Raina (28 years old and 119th in the world), whom she won 6-3 and 6-0 in 61 minutes. The Spaniard, who had only won two games in the final draw of WTA tournaments (US Open and Rome) since returning from the circuit last August, retaliated with a solvent performance, from less to more.
With a new tattoo on his right arm, Bolsava started with difficulties and in fact conceded a break in his third turn of serve, but then he recovered it immediately (3-3) and already did not lose a game until the end of the match with a fantastic 10-0 partial (only four points yielded with first services).
The Moldovan-born player broke loose and completely overwhelmed her rival, whom she had already faced once, last year at the ITF tournament in Tyler, with the Spanish victory 7-5, 6-2. They had seen each other, also in 2020, in a doubles, in this case with the triumph of India with the Georgian Gorgodze in Dubai against Aliona and the Slovenian Juvan (6-4, 3-6 and 10-6). Bolsava, who rises one place in the ranking (to 102), she will face Czech Bouzkova in the second round.
Yarra Valley Classic frame and results.
Sorribes loses in the Gippsland Trophy
Worse than Bolsava was another Spaniard, Sara Sorribes, who was going to play against the Japanese Nao Hibino and finally faced the American Cathy McNally, which entered the box at the last minute due to the withdrawal of the Japanese. The change did not suit the Castellón, who lost 6-2, 6-7 and 6-3 in a battle that lasted more than two hours. After a weak first set, Sorribes fought to raise 5-2 in the second and even saved a match ball that allowed him to prevail later in the tiebreaker. But in the third set, against a rival with a sore left thigh, he could hardly keep his serve, the big problem that kept him from victory. Sara committed 13 double faults and threw his great performance to the ground. In the last game of the match he drew another two victory points for McNally, although he could not win the fourth. Her opponent, a 19-year-old tennis player, 122nd in the world, with a good doubles hand and a lot of patience for her age, will face the Czech Muchova in the second round.
Gippsland Trophy table and results.