Second-seeded Barbora Krejcikova converted 6 of 8 break points while sailing to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Linda Fruhvirtova on Wednesday in a first-round all-Czech matchup in Prague.

Krejcikova won 73.1% of her first-serve points (19 of 26) in a match that took one hour and 18 minutes. Krejcikova won the final three games of the first set and the last four of the second.

Czechs seeded No. 3, 4 and 5 also won their matches. Sara Bejlek, seeded third, knocked off Russian Anna Blinkova 7-6 (9), 3-6, 6-1. No. 4 Nikola Bartunkova rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 triumph over China’s Yuan Yue and No. 5 Tereza Valentova rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Australia’s Priscilla Hon.

Also, American-born Aussie Maya Joint posted a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Laura Samson of Czechia. Joint was the player who beat Serena Williams in the first round in the latter’s recent comeback attempt at Wimbledon.

MSC Hamburg Ladies Open

Top-seeded Oleksandra Oliynykova saved 16 of 22 break points while registering a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Germany’s Nastasja Schunk in Germany.

Oliynykova cruised through the first set before Schunk won the final four games of the second set to even the match. Oliynykova led 4-1 in the third before Schunk recovered to knot it at 5. Oliynykova then won the final two games.

No. 3 Panna Udvardy of Hungary notched a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Elena Pridankina of Russia. No. 5 Tamara Korpatsch of Germany won 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 when Andorra’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva retired due to a lower-leg injury.

No. 7 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan beat Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-2, 7-6 (5), and No. 8 Sinja Kraus of Austria rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Darja Semenistaja of Latvia.

–Field Level Media

Georgia’s recent results would satisfy almost any program.

Kirby Smart, however, is not interested in measuring the Bulldogs solely by their consecutive SEC championships.

Georgia has followed both titles with losses in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, leaving Smart focused on producing better performances once the stakes rise beyond the conference championship game.

“We’ve got to find a way to, whether we win the SEC or not, to get into that playoff and play better and play bigger in bigger moments,” Smart told ESPN Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla.

Smart also said Georgia has not played its best football when it was needed most. The Bulldogs lost 23-10 to Notre Dame in the playoffs two seasons ago before falling 39-34 against Ole Miss last year.

To reinforce his message, Smart analyzed the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the selflessness that enabled individual players to succeed within defined roles. He aims for Georgia to find similar success while continuing to adapt rather than relying on the approach that led to previous championships.

“We study successful programs all the time. If you’re not studying how other people are doing it and you’re just fixated on your own team and your own roster, I think you’re missing out,” Smart said. “We’re always trying to grow in our program. We don’t want to stay the same.”

–Golesh gets started with Auburn rebuild

Alex Golesh understands that rebuilding Auburn will eventually be measured in victories, championships and appearances on college football’s national stage.

For now, the Tigers’ first-year coach is focused on shaping what the program should be like before counting wins in his first season.

“I don’t really have any goals, other than laying a foundation for what Auburn football is going to be for years to come,” Golesh said. “If we can leave year one and we have a foundation that’s built on our identity I would tell you it’s a successful year one.”

That foundation will be built on the identity Golesh established during three seasons at South Florida: physical and mentally tough, detail-oriented and increasingly driven by the players rather than the coaching staff.

“That’s what Auburn football was built on, physical and mental toughness,” Golesh said. “The ability to be the most violent football team on the field every Saturday. Violent. I think that’s something you can watch and see.”

Golesh is Auburn’s fourth head coach since 2019 and inherits a program that has endured six consecutive seasons without winning more than six games. The Tigers’ last double-digit-win season came in 2017, when they reached the SEC championship game.

Quarterback Byrum Brown is among 13 South Florida transfers who followed Golesh to Auburn. Brown passed for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns last season while adding 1,008 yards and 14 scores on the ground, giving the Tigers an experienced operator for Golesh’s fast-paced offense.

Golesh acknowledged the urgency surrounding the job but believes the current roster is talented enough to compete immediately. Auburn opens the season Sept. 5 against Baylor in Atlanta.

–Vanderbilt refuses to call 10 wins an arrival

Vanderbilt is dealing with an unfamiliar offseason problem: ensuring unprecedented success does not breed complacency.

The Commodores recorded the first 10-win season in program history last fall, finishing 10-3 after winning six SEC games. They must now replace quarterback Diego Pavia, the Heisman Trophy runner-up and central figure in their rise.

Head coach Clark Lea still believes the program has evolved in ways that go beyond just one quarterback or a single breakthrough season.

“Progress is not the destination. Last season was not an arrival,” Lea said. “It was simply another step in the climb.”

Lea added that the current roster inherited an expectation to win that his earlier Vanderbilt teams did not have.

“With that inheritance comes standard over excuses, responsibility over entitlement, commitment over convenience,” Lea said. “That inheritance gives us a foundation, but our story still must be earned because this team has yet to win a game. That’s the gift of every season. A new beginning, a blank canvas

The Commodores will continue emphasizing a physical running game, though the carries previously handled by Pavia will be distributed more heavily among their running backs. Lea said Vanderbilt cannot duplicate Pavia’s unique impact, but expects new leaders to emerge from players who previously worked outside the spotlight.

–Field Level Media

Star striker Robert Lewandowski will finally make his MLS debut when his Chicago Fire visit Inter Miami in their return to league play on Wednesday night.

The 37-year-old Lewandowski joined Chicago (8-4-2, 26 points) earlier this month to bring an end to a glittering 20-year European career that included extended stays at Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and most recently FC Barcelona.

He was scheduled to make his first appearance last Thursday at home against the Vancouver Whitecaps and former Bayern teammate Thomas Muller, but smoke from Canadian wildfires affecting the Midwest led to a postponement.

Now, he’ll face the defending MLS Cup champions, though this version of the team will be without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul.

Chicago manager Gregg Berhalter tried to downplay the impact of those absences.

“They have great players, and they are champions for a reason because they have a good mindset, good mentality, they compete,” he said. “For us, it’s about how do we take advantage of some of their weaknesses, and that’s what we’re going to be looking to exploit.”

Lewandowski joins a team that was on a three-match winning streak heading into the World Cup break, climbing to third place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Meanwhile, Miami (9-2-4, 31 points) will play without Messi for only the second time this season.

The 39-year-old leads the Herons with 12 goals and eight assists. According to reporting from ESPN, Messi and De Paul will miss at least Miami’s next two matches and the MLS All-Star Game on July 29 as they take time to recharge following Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.

Up front, interim manager Guillermo Hoyos will likely lean on the combination of veteran Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez and Argentine-Mexican attacker German Berterame, who have combined to score 13 times.

The Herons will also look to continue growing into their new home stadium, which was opened only this April and has seen crowds near capacity for each of its first six MLS matches.

“If the fans come out and support us, it will help us tremendously,” Hoyos said. “I think both teams will step on the field with the desire and determination to win. Inter Miami is a club that always wants to be the protagonist and always looks to take control of the game.”

–Field Level Media