Rybarikova upsets No.3 seed Pliskova in Birmingham

Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova shocked world No.7 Karolina Pliskova on grass for the second time in a year with victory at the Birmingham Classic.

The world No.19 won their first-round tie 6-2 6-3 in just over an hour at the Wimbledon warm-up event.

It was another demonstration of Rybarikova’s grass-court prowess, and she goes on to face Kristina Mladenovic of France.

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In 2017 she won 18 of 19 matches on the surface, including a second-round upset of Pliskova on her way to the Wimbledon semifinals.

Magdalena Rybarikova get the win over Pliskova at the #NatureValleyClassic!

Sealing the victory 6-2,6-3! pic.twitter.com/UIWmcBGUAE

— WTA (@WTA) June 18, 2018

“I put so many returns in, and maybe she was thinking about our last match in Wimbledon,” Rybarikova told wtatour.com.

“I was playing really well there, but every match is different. It could have been a different result today, but I’m so happy that I won this match.”

Japan’s Naomi Osaka had little trouble seeing off Briton Katie Boulter 6-1 6-2, and Australia’s Daria GAvrilova beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 7-6(6).

At the Mallorca Open, Germany’s Tatjana Maria upset Estonian fourth seed Anett Kontaveit 3-6 6-4 6-3.

Wildcard Lara Arruabarrena upset compatriot and fifth seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4 7-6(4), and Belgian Alison van Uytvanck beat eighth seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3 4-6 6-2.