Champion Watson knocked out in Prague
HEATHER WATSON suffered back-to-back first round defeats on clay after being edged out by Polona Hercog in an epic J&T Banka Prague Open battle.
Published
The 5-7, 6-3, 6-7 (5) loss means that Watson's current world ranking of 40 will likely take a hit, as she was the defending champion having won this event in 2014.
In a match that lasted in excess of three hours, Watson regularly fought back from poor positions, including a run of four straight games after being a break down at 3-2 in the second set, already trailing by a set.
She produced another fightback in the decider after falling 4-1 to force a tie break, but that was in vain, as she lost a match so close that both players won 122 points apiece.
