AUSTRALIAN wildcard Priscilla Hon has taken out Czech star Petra Kvitova in a stunning night match at the Adelaide International. The 263rd ranked Hon was a heavy underdog against the 17th ranked Kvitova and former world number two, but battled hard to run away with the contest in the third set.

The 31-year-old Czech is prone to poor starts in the year, but took the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-4. Then the match was level in the second set at 5-5, before Hon proceeded to win six consecutive games and win the second set 7-5 and go up 4-0 in the third. From there the players won their respective service games, but with Hon having the double break in-hand, she took out the match, 6-7 7-5 6-2.

Hon was sensational on serve, winning 84.2 per cent of her first serve points, as well as 59.1 per cent of her second serve. By comparison, Kvitova won 72.6 and 51.3 per cent, but could only save two of six break points she faced, of which three came in the last set and a half. Hon was able to bolt up 47 spots just from the win alone and will face either Paula Badosa or Victoria Azarenka in the Round of 16.

ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

WTA 500:

[3] Maria Sakkari (GRE) defeated Tamara Zidansek (SLO) 6-2 0-6 6-4
[7] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) defeated Storm Sanders (AUS) 6-4 1-6 6-1
Kaja Juvan (SLO) defeated Chloe Paquet (FRA) 6-4 6-2
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) defeated Heather Watson (GBR) 6-4 7-6
Leylah Fernandez (CAN) defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-3 6-4
[WC] Priscilla Hon (AUS) defeated Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6-7 7-5 6-2

In other matches, Tomljanovic knocked out Heather Watson in more good news for the Australians, but Sanders could not complete the set. She took it up to seventh seed Rybakina but could not get the chocolates, going down in three sets. Third seed Sakkari joined Rybakina in the second round, with 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez, and Slovenian young gun Juvan also winning.

ATP 250:

[7] Laslo Djere (SRB) defeated Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) 7-5 7-6
[8] Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) defeated Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-1 6-2
Thiago Monteiro (BRA) defeated Daniel Altmaier (GER) 6-2 3-6 7-6

Given how late the Hon-Kvitova women’s match went, the clash between Steve Johnson and Aleksandar Vukic only started after 10pm AEDST. Earlier in the day, the results largely went as planned with both major seeds advancing to the Round of 16. Kwon had the most impressive win, destroying unseeded Nishioka and only dropping three games in the process.

MATCHES TO WATCH TOMORROW:

Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) vs. John Millman (AUS)
Daria Saville (AUS) vs. [5] Iga Swiatek (POL)
[4] Paula Badosa (ESP) vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
[Q] Maddison Inglis (AUS) vs. Shelby Rogers (USA)