Bulgarian tennis player Lidiya Encheva recorded a valuable victory and qualified for the second round of the singles of the WTA 125 clay tournament in Mallorca (Spain), which has a prize fund of 125 thousand euros.
The 20-year-old player from Silistra, who entered the main draw as a “lucky loser“ (lucky loser) from the qualifiers, showed a very mature game and prevailed over the qualifier Aneta Kuchmova from the Czech Republic with 6:2, 6:4 in an hour and 24 minutes.
The match started with complete dominance for the Bulgarian, who scored a series of five consecutive games in the first set. Although Kuchmova managed to return one of the breaks, Encheva kept her cool and easily closed the set with 6:2.
The second set went game by game until the fifth set, when the Bulgarian player delivered a decisive blow, making a break for 3:2. Until the end of the match, Encheva was impeccable on her serve and gave the Czech player no chance to turn things around, sealing the final 6:4.
With her success in the Spanish resort, Lidia Encheva secured 15 points for the WTA rankings. Thanks to them, she solidifies her rise this week, in which she already holds her highest ranking in her career - 348th place in the world.
In the battle for a place in the quarterfinals, the Bulgarian will face the leader in the main draw, Yulia Graber. The 30-year-old Austrian is ranked 97th in the world rankings, and the match between the two will be played on Wednesday.
The other Bulgarian hope - ranked number 7 in the scheme Elizara Yaneva - also continues her participation in Mallorca. On Wednesday, she will play her match of the tournament, and her opponent will be the French qualifier Carole Monnet.