Simona Halep won her opening match of the WTA Prague Open on Tuesday, defeating Polona Hercog 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (7/3) to relaunch a season disrupted for nearly six months by the coronavirus pandemic. Top seed Halep needed two and a half hours to overcome Slovenian world number 46 Hercog on clay in the Czech capital, blowing six match points in the decider before prevailing in a tie-break.

The second-ranked Halep will meet Barbora Krejcikova in the round of 16. The reigning Wimbledon and former French Open champion was appearing in her first match on tour since securing her 20th career title at the Dubai Championships in February. She pulled out of the first post-lockdown WTA tournament in Palermo last week over virus concerns, and is yet to make a final decision whether to play at the US Open later this month.