WTA Adelaide. Caroline Garcia qualifies and will face Jelena Ostapenko in the second round

Caroline Garcia managed to defeat Taylah Preston to qualify for the second round of the WTA in Adelaide. MAXPPP – STEVEN MARKHAM

Victim of an injury a few days before the Australian Open, the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, victorious at the last Wimbledon tournament, withdrew from the WTA tournament on Tuesday. #39;Adelaide, where the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and the French Caroline Garcia, qualified, will face each other in the second round.

Marketa Vondrousova, world No.7, was to play her first round match Tuesday evening against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. But the WTA announced its withdrawal, citing a hip injury, without specifying the seriousness.

Caroline Gardia, for her part, avoided a disappointment by coming back from a break behind in the last set to beat Australian wildcard Taylah Preston 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.  

Ostapenko will meet Caroline Garcia, now 20th in the world

Former winner of Roland-Garros in 2017, Jelena Ostapenko, world number 12, for her part needed three sets to overcome her Romanian rival Sorana Cirstea (2-6, 6-2 , 6-4). She lost her serve twice in the first set before waking up. "I slept during the first set, I'm not really a morning person", she declared after her competitive morning meeting at Memorial Drive.

"I like playing in Australia,” said the quarter-finalist in Melbourne in 2023. "The conditions are good for me. Sometimes I get too angry, but then I calm down and play better,” said the woman who will face the Frenchwoman in the second round.