Prague, Czech Republic, 27 April 2016 | AP/AAP

Fourth-seeded Australian Sam Stosur has rallied to advance to the second round of the Prague Open alongside second seed Lucie Safarova and defending champion Karolina Pliskova.

World No.25 Stosur came from a set down to defeat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 3-6 6-4 6-2 on Tuesday to set up a second-round clash with Czech wildcard Marketa Vondrousova.

Stosur’s win was impressive given Cirstea’s form; the Romanian entered the match with a 25-6 win-loss record in 2016 – including three match wins in Prague qualifying – and had improved her ranking more than 100 places since January.

Meanwhile, Safarova also had to work hard in order to overcome Mariana Duque-Marino 3-6 6-3 6-4 to secure her first singles victory of the season.

Safarova will next face Lucie Hradecka, who beat lucky loser Andrea Hlavackova 6-4 6-1.

Also, defending champion Karolina Pliskova defeated Stefanie Voegele 6-1 6-3 and lucky loser Barbora Krejcikova eliminated seventh-seeded Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2.

Top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced with a three-set win over Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.