Heather Watson loses again as winless run stretches back to January

Form | Watson has not won since defeating Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals of the Hobart International in January

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Standard Sport30 April 2018

Heather Watson's poor recent form continued with a straight-sets defeat to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the J&T Banka Prague Open first round.

Watson remains without a win since defeating Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals of the Hobart International in January - a run of eight successive matches.

The 25-year-old was beaten 6-1 6-3 in one hour and 26 minutes against the in-form Schmiedlova, who won the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogota two weeks ago.

Watson was broken twice as she slipped 4-0 behind before eventually getting on the board in the fifth game, but dropped the next two to lose the opening set in 37 minutes.

Schmiedlova, who has won all three of her WTA titles on clay, led 2-0 before Watson hit back to break the Slovakian's serve three times in a row, only to hand it back on each occasion.

The 23-year-old then held service in the ninth game for victory.

Reporting by Press Association.