MADRID, Spain – Barbora Strycova had never won a set in her first five meetings against reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, but the Czech veteran turned the tables in a major way on Sunday, dispatching the World No.3, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

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Kerber last played Strycova in the second round of the Miami Open – a match she won, 6-1, 6-1 – but the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix champion had far more trouble on Estadio 3, dropping serve four times against Strycova, who maintained an impressive 80% on points won behind her first serve.

“Oh my god, it’s been so difficult,” Strycova said of her rivalry with the German. “I’d win four games in the matches we played before. I went into this match thinking I had nothing to lose. I mean, it can’t be worse than Miami!”

Strycova has had a solid year of her own, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and the final of the Dubai Duty Free Championships; her win over Kerber was her second over a Top 3 player this season – having already upset Garbiñe Muguruza in Melbourne. Showing off her all-court game to its full effect, Strycova won nine of 12 points at net, and finished the one hour and nine minute match with 16 winners to 15 unforced errors; Kerber, by contrast, could only muster 13 winners to 22 unforced.

“I’m happy about my performance today. I stuck with the game my coach told me, and I was kind of in the zone and stable, which I’m happy about the most.

“We have similar games,” Strycova added when asked about the issues she’s had playing Kerber in the past. “She’s a very patient player with good defense. It’s tough to win a point against her because she puts every ball back. It’s difficult for me because I’m a smaller player and I have a similar game to her, so it’s difficult for me to be patient, because I’m not a patient person. That’s why it’s difficult for me to be patient on the court.

“But I tried to be patient today and it worked; that’s the way I have to be on court, and I’m practicing that.”

First set goes to @BaraStrycova!

Grabs the opening set off Kerber 6-4! #MMOpen https://t.co/0Y1d8XrZgW

— WTA (@WTA) May 1, 2016

Awaiting Strycova in the second round is Madison Keys, who recovered from a disastrous start against qualifier Alison Riske to emerge victorious, 1-6. 6-3, 6-4.

Over on Court Manolo Santana, No.8 Carla Suárez Navarro delighted home fans with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over the fast-rising Timea Babos, who had just reached the semifinals of the GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat last week. No.7 seed Roberta Vinci wasn’t able to pull off a similar comeback against Istanbul runner-up Danka Kovinic, losing, 6-4, 6-2. No.13 seed Karolina Pliskova had a far more straightforward result compared to her fellow seeds, taking out local wildcard Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 6-2, 6-1, while last year’s Rome semifinalist Daria Gavrilova bounded into the secound round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over lucky loser Heather Watson.