Kristyna Pliskova pulled off the biggest win of her career but it was bad news for twin sister Karolina who was on the receiving end of a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(9-7) defeat at the Birmingham grasscourt event on Wednesday. The world No. 112 fired down 24 aces as she beat world number three Karolina in their first meeting in a WTA event. It was her first win against a top-five ranked player and she will go on to play fellow Czech Barbora Strycova in the quarterfinals. The twins set up the second-round clash after Karolina accepted a wildcard and defeated Mihaela Buzarnescu on Monday while Kristyna came through three rounds of qualifying before beating Viktoriya Tomova. Kristyna, two minutes older than her sister, broke early in contest and raced ahead 5-1 before closing out the opening set with an ace. Former US Open finalist Karolina, who lost the last clash between the pair at the Eastbourne qualifiers six years ago, responded strongly to drag the match into a decider. World No. 112 Kristyna surged 4-1 ahead in the third set but Karolina fought back to force a tiebreak. A third double fault by Karolina at 7-7 gave her twin match point and Kristyna held her nerve to seal a memorable victory. Kristyna is seeking a second career title since her triumph at the Tashkent Open in 2016. Meanwhile, French Open champion Ashleigh Barty got her grass court season off to a winning start, but Johanna Konta's Wimbledon preparations suffered a blow with defeat at the Birmingham Classic on Wednesday. Barty saw off a bright start from Croatia's Donna Vekic in her first match since lifting a first Grand Slam title to win 6-3, 6-4 and set up a second round meeting with American Jennifer Brady. "I think it was probably as smooth as it could have gone," said Barty. "I felt really good with my feet on the grass. We haven't had a hell of a lot of grass court time because of the weather but in a sense that made it even better because it was fresh, it was new. I could really just play by feel and try and work my way into the match." The Australian shot to No. 2 in the world rankings by winning in Paris earlier this month and could even end the week as No. 1 if she outperforms Naomi Osaka in England's Midlands. However, Barty insists she is not yet feeling any strain of being a Grand Slam champion. "I don't feel any different myself," she added. "I'm still the same Ash Barty that I was three weeks ago. I'm the same Ash Barty I was two years ago." Konta also made the last four at the French Open, but her return to the grass was cut short in the second round by Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-4. A former French Open winner herself, Ostapenko has struggled with injuries this season but has now posted back-to-back wins for just the second time this year. Venus Williams progressed to round two as the 39-year-old eased past Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 6-4. — Agencies
