Pliskova in Nottingham stopped McNally and secured a grass-court quarterfinal
Karolina Pliskova advanced to the quarterfinal of the WTA 250 Lexus Nottingham Open after defeating Catherine "Caty" McNally, 6:4, 7:6(3), in a second-round match played in Nottingham in the United Kingdom. According to the official WTA Tour draw and tournament results, the Czech tennis player closed out the match in two sets, but only after a second set that went to a tie-break and confirmed how demanding the contest was despite the final outcome without a lost set. Pliskova kept the steadier hand in the closing stages of the match, took control in the tie-break and closed out with 7:3 a match that had more changes of rhythm than the score suggests. For the former world No. 1, this is another valuable result in the part of the season played on grass, a surface on which her serve, early strikes and experience traditionally carry greater weight. McNally, according to the available match statistics, had enough chances to take the contest into a third set, but she failed to make use of her opponent's more unstable service games at the decisive moments.
Decisive tie-break after a tight second set
The first set went to Pliskova 6:4, with play in which the score shows that the difference was created through several key points on return, and not through complete dominance by one player. McNally entered the match as an opponent who can be very awkward on grass because of her direct style, her ability to move forward to the net and her doubles experience, but Pliskova managed in important moments to shorten the exchanges and shift the pressure onto the American player's serve. According to the statistics published by Flashscore, Pliskova won 89 of the 166 total points played, which means that she had a clear, but not unreachable, advantage in the overall distribution of points. The same source states that the Czech player converted six of twelve break points, while McNally converted five of nine opportunities to take serve. Such a ratio explains why the match was tense in terms of the score and why the second set ended only after an additional game.
In the second set McNally managed to extend the encounter to a tie-break, and precisely that part of the match became the key test for both players. Pliskova was more decisive in the additional game, chose her moments to attack more precisely and avoided the scenario in which the American player would gain new momentum in a third set. The 7:3 tie-break showed the difference in execution under pressure: McNally found answers during the set and returned to scoreboard contact, but in the shortest decision-making format she did not maintain the same stability. According to the data from the official WTA draw result, Pliskova thereby moved into the quarterfinal, where Talia Gibson awaits her, the Australian tennis player who earlier in Nottingham eliminated Qinwen Zheng. That outcome brings an interesting continuation of the tournament because Pliskova enters the next round with the momentum of two victories, but also with a clear warning that her serve must be more stable if she wants to continue the run.
The serve was not the only difference, but it shaped the rhythm of the match
Pliskova has long been recognized as one of the most dangerous servers on the WTA Tour, but the encounter against McNally was not a simple demonstration of serving superiority. According to the match statistics on Flashscore, the Czech landed 70 percent of her first serves, but won 54 percent of points after the first serve and 57 percent of points after the second serve. Those figures point to an unusual match in which the first serve was important for opening the point, but did not automatically bring quick and secure games. McNally, according to the same source, recorded five aces, two more than Pliskova, but a weaker performance on second serve significantly limited her in the moments when she had to defend service games. The American player won 29 percent of points after the second serve, and against a player who steps aggressively into the court, that left too much room for pressure on return.
Especially important was Pliskova's ability to attack McNally's second serve and take the initiative already with the first shot after the return. According to the published statistics, Pliskova won 71 percent of points on her opponent's second serve, which is one of the clearest indicators of why she managed to stay ahead in the overall result. In such circumstances McNally had to play with greater risk, and that increased the number of situations in which Pliskova could finish points with shorter exchanges. Although McNally saved break points and found solutions in individual phases of the match, the pressure on the second serve followed her to the end of the encounter. Pliskova did not play a perfect match, but in the most important segments she was more efficient and more tactically disciplined.
Pliskova's return gains new weight on grass
The result in Nottingham is additionally significant because of the broader context of Pliskova's season. WTA in a recent text about her comeback stated that the Czech tennis player, after problems with her left ankle and surgeries, had to rebuild physical confidence and that a return on grass is an important part of her competitive recovery. According to official WTA statistics, Pliskova is ranked No. 87 in singles in 2026, while her career-high ranking is No. 1. That figure emphasizes the difference between her current position and the status she had for years among the strongest players in the world, but it also explains why every victory at tournaments before Wimbledon has competitive and psychological value. Nottingham is especially relevant for her also because of memories from 2024, when she played the final there, which WTA also highlighted in the context of her search for new strong results on grass. The victory over McNally is therefore not only passage into the quarterfinal, but also confirmation that Pliskova can again solve tight matches on a surface that rewards her strongest shots.
For Pliskova, it is especially important that already in the first round in Nottingham she had to pass a difficult test. According to the official WTA tournament results, in the first round she defeated the 11th seed Sara Bejlek 2:6, 7:6(3), 6:2, after a comeback and another tie-break that played a major role in the outcome. Two consecutive matches with important additional games show that Pliskova this week is not passing through the draw without pressure, but is building the result through competitive endurance. This is an important change compared with periods in which physical problems interrupted her rhythm and made continuity of appearances more difficult. On grass, decisions are often made by a small number of points, and Pliskova in both of her matches so far in Nottingham has found enough quality to play the most sensitive points better than her opponents.
McNally remains without a quarterfinal, but with confirmation that she can be dangerous on grass
Caty McNally ended her appearance in the singles competition after a match in which she remained close to a third set, but did not find enough stability in the most important part of the second set. According to the official WTA Tour player list for Nottingham, McNally appeared without seeded status, and in the first round she defeated Antonia Ružić 6:3, 6:0. That result showed that she entered the tournament with a good feel for grass and with a game that can quickly create pressure. Against Pliskova, however, she faced a different kind of challenge: her opponent had greater experience in high-pressure matches and managed the closing stages better. McNally showed resilience in the second set, but the tie-break remained on the side of the player who had a clearer plan in the key points.
WTA statistics for McNally state that her best and current singles ranking is No. 54, while in doubles she reached No. 11 in the world. That doubles profile is important for understanding her game because it gives her a feel for space, the net and shorter reactions, especially on grass. Still, the match against Pliskova showed that against an experienced server and aggressive returner it is not enough only to create pressure with occasional attacks. Greater efficiency on second serve is also necessary, because every weaker serve on grass can quickly turn into a defensive situation. McNally leaves Nottingham with a defeat, but also with the impression that her game has enough elements for competitiveness on the grass surface if she manages to reduce the fluctuations in service games.
Nottingham as an important stop before Wimbledon
The Lexus Nottingham Open has an important position in the short but intense part of the grass-court season. According to the official WTA Tour description, the tournament in Nottingham belongs to the WTA 250 category, is played on outdoor grass courts and brings together 32 players in the singles draw and 16 teams in the doubles competition. WTA states that the tournament is held at the Nottingham Tennis Centre, a venue with a long tennis tradition and grass courts that serve as part of the preparations for Wimbledon. The LTA, the British tennis association, states that the 2026 edition takes place from 13 to 21 June, while the official WTA calendar for the main tournament shows the period from 15 to 21 June. That difference comes from the broader tournament programme, including qualifying and accompanying matches, and not from a discrepancy in the main competitive schedule.
Nottingham is often a tournament where players of different profiles meet: those seeking their first grass-court matches after the clay season, returnees who need rhythm and seeds who want to confirm their status before Wimbledon. This year the draw, according to the WTA player list, included names such as Emma Navarro, Marie Bouzkova, Ann Li, Maria Sakkari, McCartney Kessler, Leylah Fernandez and Qinwen Zheng. Such a line-up gives additional weight to reaching the quarterfinal, especially for a player like Pliskova, who is not among the seeds, but because of her career and experience remains a serious threat to every opponent. The victory over McNally places her among the players who have survived the changing conditions of the early rounds and now enter the stage of the tournament in which every match directly turns into a fight for the closing phase. On grass, where one service game or several returns can decide an encounter, such a position often opens space also for sudden changes in the dynamics of the draw.
Next obstacle: Talia Gibson after victory over Zheng
Pliskova will play in the quarterfinal against Talia Gibson, and that duel gains additional interest because of the way in which the Australian tennis player reached that stage. The LTA reported that Gibson defeated Qinwen Zheng 6:3, 7:6(10) in the second round, saving three set points in the second-set tie-break. That result shows that Pliskova awaits an opponent who has already proved that she can handle players of great renown and that in the closing stages of sets she can remain brave enough for attacking play. Gibson's passage past Zheng, the Olympic champion from Paris 2024 according to the LTA report, is at the same time one of the more notable results of the draw and the reason why the quarterfinal will not be merely a routine continuation of Pliskova's week. Pliskova will have to repeat the decisiveness from the tie-break against McNally, but also reduce the number of service fluctuations that gave the American player too many chances to come back.
In the continuation of the tournament, it will be crucial for Pliskova how much she can maintain the balance between aggression and control. Her game on grass naturally tends toward early taking of the initiative, but the statistics against McNally show that opponents can create pressure if her first shot after the serve does not bring her an advantage. On the other hand, the ability to constantly threaten on return and win a large number of points on the opponent's second serve can give her a clear tactical advantage also against Gibson. Nottingham is therefore for Pliskova more than one victory in the second round: it is a test of continuity, physical confidence and competitive self-belief on a surface that before Wimbledon often proves to be the fastest indicator of form. After the 6:4, 7:6(3) victory, the Czech tennis player remains in the draw with a real opportunity to further confirm her return among dangerous players on grass.
Sources:
- WTA Tour – official draw and results of the Lexus Nottingham Open 2026 tournament, including the result of the Pliskova - McNally match and the pairings for the next round (link)
- WTA Tour – official description of the Nottingham tournament, WTA 250 category, surface, draw format and venue (link)
- LTA – results and news from the Lexus Nottingham Open 2026, including the tournament schedule and Talia Gibson's victory over Qinwen Zheng (link)
- Flashscore – match statistics for Karolina Pliskova - Caty McNally, including points, serve, break points and tie-break data (link)
- WTA Tour – official statistics of player Karolina Pliskova, including current and career-high ranking (link)
- WTA Tour – official statistics of player Caty McNally, including singles ranking and doubles ranking (link)
- WTA Tour – article about Pliskova's comeback after ankle problems and her grass-court form before Nottingham (link)