PALERMO, Sicily -- Slovenian qualifier Kaja Juvan upset second-seeded Markéta Vondroušová of the Czech Republic 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of the Palermo Ladies Open, the first official WTA event since March.
Vondroušová won the first set in just 29 minutes and then came from 4-0 down in the second to take a 5-4 lead and was just two points away from winning the match before Juvan recovered. Juvan took another 4-0 lead in the third set and secured the match when Vondroušová hit a forehand into the net. It was her first career win against a top-20 ranked opponent.
The WTA tournament marks the return of tour-level tennis following a five-month break for the coronavirus pandemic.
A limited number of fans were allowed into the 1,500-seat stadium court and had to follow social distancing measures.
Juvan will face either Camila Giorgi or Rebecca Peterson in the next round.
