Former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova makes winning return after year-long absence
NewsMonday, 15 September 2025 at 19:34
Karolina Pliskova is back on the tennis courts, and she is back to winning after claiming an opening-round win at the WTA 125 event in Caldas da Rainha.
Pliskova played her last Tour-level event at the 2024 US Open. She won her first-round match against Mayar Sherif, but retired already during the opening game of her second-round match against Jasmine Paolini. It was because of an ankle injury.
Ahead of her comeback, the Czech player talked to Flashscore about what actually happened in New York 12 months ago, as she has been away from the spotlight since then.
"My ankle broke and they took me away in a wheelchair. The biggest embarrassment... I went straight to the hospital. They found out that it was just cracked all over. Ligaments, tendons... Only the bones were holding it together. So basically, the surgery was a no-brainer."
Recovered and ready to play, Pliskova took on Tessah Andrianjafitrimo in the first round of the WTA 125 in Portugal. She received a wild card for the event. Andrianjafitrimo is a 26-year-old French player ranked just inside the Top 300.
It was a perfect opponent for the former world No. 1 to kick-start her journey, but the Czech player didn't start well. She lost the opening game and faced two break points, down 15-40, in the second game.
But that was the last time that Pliskova was in a losing position in the first set. After shaking off some rust, she stepped up her level, winning six games in a row to win the first set of the match 6-1.
The second set was a proper battle. Pliskova led 2-1 early on, but she then lost four games in a row, falling 2-5 behind. The Czech player then started a comeback, breaking back and even leading 40-0 on her opponent's serve to level the score at 5-5. But Andrianjafitrimo held her serve, winning the second set 6-4.
In the decider, Pliskova started with an early break, but she lost five of the six games played from 3-0 up. At 5-4, Andrianjafitrimo even served for the match, but Pliskova ended strongly, winning three games in a row to win the match 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
In the second round, the Czech player will take on Polina Iatcenko, who is a 21-year-old player ranked 267th in the world.
What's next for Karolina Pliskova after her first win in over a year?
During her interview with Flashscore, Pliskova also spoke about her upcoming plans. Her first objective was to return to the courts, which she managed to do, and now, she wants to play at some events in Asia.
"I got a wild card for Portugal, then I have wild cards somewhere in Asia. I think I got it for Tokyo and somewhere in Japan and I've also been offered somewhere in China. But that's more of a plan for later, when I feel more comfortable and confident."
"Right now, with this first start, we're kind of living day to day. I can't plan anything five or six weeks in advance yet. Of course, I would like to go to as many tournaments as possible, but we'll see what my body says."
Popular News
Just In
Loading