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Petra Kvitova beat 2019 champion Madison Keys in straight sets at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Kvitova ousts past champion Keys at rainy Western and Southern Open

Petra Kvitova was one of a handful of seeded players to take the court at the Western and Southern Open on Monday and came away victorious against a past champion of the event.

The 11th-seeded Kvitova defeated 2019 Western and Southern winner Madison Keys 7-5 6-4 on a rain-plagued opening day of main-draw play at the tournament outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Czech saved eight of nine break points against her serve while breaking Keys three times, and that was enough to pull out the victory.

Kvitova's countrywoman Barbora Krejcikova, the ninth seed, made her singles debut at the WTA 1000 event with a 6-3 6-2 rout of Daria Kasatkina.

Fifteenth seed Elise Mertens also was a straight-sets winner, taking down Nadia Podoroska 6-3 6-4, while 13th seed Jennifer Brady defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in a match that finished shortly before 1 a.m. local time.

Though only Krejcikova was in action Monday, the field in Cincinnati includes nine of the top 10 players in the rankings, led by Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka in their first appearances since the Tokyo Olympics.

In other matches on the first day of play, Heather Watson defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 3-6 6-1, while Paula Badosa outlasted Petra Martic 4-6 6-4 7-6 (11-9) in a two-hour, 34-minute marathon.

Survived the storm
Saved multiple match points @paulabadosa outlasts Martic in a three-set ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ!#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/uoY6awCvph
— wta (@WTA) August 17, 2021