WTA: Lottner and Barthel with victories in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Nottingham

Antonia Lottner mastered her opening hurdle at a WTA tournament for the second time this year.

The 21-year-old from Düsseldorf, number 148 in the world, defeated Anna Blinkowa of Russia, 40 places higher in the first round of the grass court tournament in the Dutch’s-Hertogenbosch, 6:2, 3:6, 6:2 on Tuesday.

Former Fed Cup player Mona Barthel (Neumünster) also reached the second round of the WTA tournament in Nottingham. The 27-year-old won 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 against local hero Katie Swan from Great Britain and will face Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova in the round of 16, who is number two in the seedings.

Lottner had celebrated her only first round victory this year in early May in Prague, where she failed in the round of the last 16 against the Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu.

Lottner is the first German in the round of 16 at the tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which is endowed with 250,000 euros. Carina Witthöft (Hamburg) had already lost her opening game on Monday, on Tuesday afternoon Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) intervenes against the US-American Alison Riske. Barthel is the only German starter in Nottingham.