In the first professional match of the North Palmyra Trophies tournament Yulia Putintseva defeated Bulgarian Victoriya Tomova 6/2, 6/3. The «Sphinxes» took the lead against the ‘Lions’ 1-0.

Even at the opening ceremony preceding the match, Putintseva appeared very focused and geared up for the battle. She managed to maintain this mindset throughout the entire match. Not a single time did she let go of her serve throughout two sets and confidently won the match in just 1 hour and 16 minutes.

«It's actually very unusual for me», said the victorious player later in an interview with Natalia Vikhlyantseva. «Usually, my matches last three sets, lasting three hours. I really enjoyed how I played today. Anastasia Myskina gave me advice and supported me. She is an excellent captain. Although Svetlana Kuznetsova was fantastic as the captain of my team last year».