Marie Bouzkova had to come from a break down in both sets as she defeated Carol Young Suh Lee 7-5 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Prague Open on Wednesday.

The defending Prague champion and top seed will now face another Czech player, Tereza Valentova, for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Bouzkova had to serve to stay in the opening set after going 5-3 down, but she then recovered her composure to win the next four games, with a big backhand winner down the line bringing the all-important second break.

She went behind earlier in the second set, giving up game three on her own serve only to immediately hit back and make it 2-2.

Bouzkova threatened to break during a marathon sixth game, wasting four chances to do so, but she offered Lee nothing on her own serve from that moment on.

With Lee serving to stay in the match at 5-4 down, Bouzkova let one match point pass her by but then saw her opponent strike the net on her second, keeping her on course for a potential final meeting with compatriot Barbora Krejcikova.

Bouzkova made to work again

Bouzkova has now won 10 of her last 11 matches, having captured the Nottingham Open title before reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and losing to Elise Mertens.

Both of her victories this week in Prague – where she claimed her first two WTA titles in 2022 and 2025 – have come in straight sets, though neither have been entirely straightforward as she was also on the ropes in a 7-5 7-5 success against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round.

She has been a break down in three of the four sets she has won in Prague thus far, and she will hope to avoid giving up head starts in the latter rounds.