WTA roundup: Madison Keys shown early exit from Berlin

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic staved off No. 7 seed Madison Keys 7-5, 7-6 (6) during the first round of the Berlin Tennis Open on Tuesday.

Neither player broke serve in the second set until the tiebreaker, when Vondrousova ran out to a 4-0 lead. The Australian Open champion rattled off five straight points to eke ahead, but Vondrousova pulled back in front and won on her second match point.

Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, has plummeted in the world rankings to No. 164 amid an injury-shortened 2024 season. Her next opponent will be Russia's Diana Shnaider, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Croatia's Donna Vekic.

Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, the 2021 champion in Berlin, rallied past Naomi Osaka of Japan 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Other winners Tuesday included Amanda Anisimova, China's Xinyu Wang and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

Lexus Nottingham Open

No. 8 seed Katie Boulter cruised on home soil in a quick 6-2, 6-2 victory over New Zealand's Lulu Sun in the first round in Nottingham, England.

Boulter, from the nearby county of Leicestershire, saved all four break points she faced while converting 4 of 5 chances to break Sun's serve.

Boulter was one of four Brits to win on Tuesday. Francesca Jones defeated countrywoman Harriet Dart 7-5, 6-4; Sonay Kartal took down France's Leolia Jeanjean 6-3, 6-4; and Mingge Xu, a 17-year-old from Wales, surprised Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-3.

No. 6 seed Magda Linette of Poland, Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia and Cristina Bucsa of Spain also advanced. The final match of the night -- pitting No. 1 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil against McCartney Kessler -- was in a third set.

--Field Level Media