The United States’ Ashlyn Krueger rallied in front of a supportive crowd on Tuesday, pulling off a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2 upset of No. 16 seed Donna Vekic of Croatia in the first round of the Cincinnati Open in Mason, Ohio.
Krueger and Vekic each had nine aces, with the former overcoming 14 double faults to punch her ticket to the second round.
It was a surreal victory for Krueger, who attended the Cincinnati Open when she was a kid.
“I came here with my family when I was 12, it’s the only pro tournament I’ve ever been to — twice,” an emotional Krueger said. “So to play here on this court, I remember watching from the stands.”
Vekic was unable to ride any momentum she garnered from winning the silver medal in women’s singles at the Paris Olympics.
Russian Daria Kasatkina, the No. 9 seed, and Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, the No. 15 seed, managed to ward off upsets. Kasatkina swept countrywoman Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, while Kostyuk outlasted Elise Mertens of Belgium for a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.
Kasatkina saved 5 of 6 break points in knocking off Alexandrova.
Robin Montgomery failed to join fellow American Krueger in the second round, as Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto prevailed 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in their match. Montgomery had nine aces but was hampered by 12 double faults.
Other winners Tuesday included New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, Varvara Gracheva of France and Czech Karolina Pliskova.
Five matches were scheduled for later Tuesday, among them meetings between Anastasia Potapova of Russia and France’s Clara Burel and Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Pole Magda Linette.
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and China’s Yafan Wang were also scheduled to play, as were Harriet Dart of Great Britain and Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva and Canadian Bianca Andreescu and Elina Avanesyan of Armenia.
–Field Level Media
