No. 2 Pliskova moves on in Eastbourne

Second seed Karolina Pliskova was just happy not to have her twin sister on the other side of the net as she made a winning start at the Eastbourne championships on Monday.

The former world No. 1, given a bye in the opening round, booked her spot in the last 16 with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory over Margarita Gasparyan on the Devonshire Park grass.

It was her first match since losing a three-set thriller to 112th-ranked Kristyna Pliskova in Birmingham last week in what was the first main Tour meeting between the 27-year-old Czechs.

“I didn’t really enjoy myself if I compare my match today and the match with Kristyna,” the big-serving world No. 3, who will be one of the favoured players at next week’s Wimbledon championships, told reporters.

“It’s totally different feeling if you play somebody, you know, not from your family. I didn’t enjoy the match at all, not even for a while.”

Pliskova, champion at Eastbourne in 2017 but still awaiting her first Grand Slam title, will face either Elise Mertens or fellow Czech Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the quarter-finals.

The 19-year-old Vondrousova was playing her first match since the French Open final in which she was beaten by Ashleigh Barty. The 13th seed beat China’s Saisai Zheng 6-2, 6-3 for her first Tour level victory on grass.

Reigning Eastbourne champion Caroline Wozniacki opened her title defence with a win over Kirsten Flipkens.

Top seed Barty, who on Monday was unveiled as the new world No. 1, withdrew with a right arm injury, although she is confident she will recover for the start of Wimbledon on July 1.

Wimbledon won’t include Canada’s Bianca Andreescu, who announced her withdrawal from the tournament on Monday with an ongoing shoulder injury.