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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 9, 2017

 
Karolina Pliskova

Karolina Pliskova eased through her first match as World No.1 without complications in Toronto.

Photo Source:Vaughn Ridley/ Getty

Being No.1 in the world without winning a major title has been both a blessing and a curse of late. Six of the last 11 WTA No.1s have ascended to the top spot without winning a major, and only two of the previous five (Kim Clijsters and Amelie Mauresmo) have gone on to claim a major title.

More: Monfils Engineers Miracle in Montreal

But Karolina Pliskova, who reached No.1 after a disappointing second-round loss at Wimbledon, is doing her best to remain impervious to the talk that will inevitably surround her.

Perhaps the Czech has gained some wisdom from failing to make the second week of a major in her first 17 tries. She put aside the pressure and constant chatter about her legitimacy last summer when she took out both Williams sisters en route to her first major final at the U.S. Open.

She’s that talented – at some point, one would think, she’ll be winning a major.

On Wednesday Pliskova eased past Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova—a hard-hitting pitfall in wait if there ever was one—to reach the third round at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, 6-3, 6-3. It wasn’t the tidiest of matches but Pliskova made good of her opportunities, breaking seven times on nine opportunities to improve to 5-0 lifetime against the Russian.

Pliskova will next face Japan’s Naomi Osaka. The Japanese qualifier eased past No.15-seeded Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, on Wednesday in Montreal.

No.9-seeded Venus Williams also kept up her fine form, defeating Czech Katerina Siniakova, 7-5, 7-5, to improve to 28-8 on the season.


No.10-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was also a winner, 6-0, 6-1, over Timea Babos, while No.11-seeded Dominika Cibulkova fell to Czech Lucie Safarova for the third time this season, 6-2, 6-4.

Radwanska will square off with Caroline Wozniacki in the third round. Wozniacki holds a 10-6 lifetime edge over Radwanska.


Earlier on Wednesday, No.4-seeded Garbiné Muguruza took care of qualifier Kirsten Flipkens, 7-5, 6-2. The victory was Muguruza’s second Rogers Cup victory. She’ll face Ashleigh Barty in the third round. The 21-year-old Aussie qualifier surprised No.16-seeded Elena Vesnina in three sets.

 

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