Kvitova, Pliskova headline all-Czech tournament

[May 11, 2020]  Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and World No. 3 Karolina Pliskova are among the players who will compete in an all-Czech Republic tournament in Prague on May 26-28.

The tournament comes at a time when the WTA and ATP tours have been shut down since March 8 due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will also be a men's event.

"This is the first event the Czech Tennis Association (CTS) has prepared for players at a time when they can't travel because of the pandemic," tournament spokesman Karel Tejkal said in a statement.

Also in the women's field is 26th-ranked Karolina Muchova, 31st-ranked Barbora Strycova and 69th-ranked Kristyna Pliskova, the twin sister of Karolina Pliskova.

The 12th-ranked Kvitova is eager to see how the tournament plays out.

"I'm looking forward to playing a tournament after a long time," Kvitova said. "I'm really curious about the shape we'll be in without playing any tournaments."

Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova poses with the trophy after blitzing Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2 in the final of the Madrid Open. REUTERS/Andrea Comas/File photo

Among the men's players who will be competing is 65th-ranked Jiri Vesely.

There have been 280 deaths in the Czech Republic due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Johns Hopkins University.

--Field Level Media

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