Maria Sakkari outlasted Ashlyn Krueger to win their first-round match 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 in three hours and 29 minutes Wednesday at the China Open in Beijing.
It was the third-longest match this season on the WTA Tour and a rollercoaster for Greece’s Sakkari, who nearly blew a 5-2 lead in the first set, squandered a 5-4 edge in the second set and then overcame a 4-2 hole in the third.
“One of the longest matches I’ve ever played and I really needed that win,” Sakkari said. “I need those kind of matches, I need those kind of wins.”
Krueger more than offset her seven aces with a dozen double faults on an uneven service day for both players at the WTA 1000 tournament. Sakkari converted 8 of 17 break points against the 7 of 17 effort by Krueger. Sakkari ended the tightly contested battle with a 139-134 edge in total points.
Sakkari, who had to withdraw from this tournament last year with a shoulder injury, will face No. 25 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the second round.
Four other first-round tilts went to three sets. Australia’s Priscilla Hon rallied past Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4); Britain’s Katie Boulter beat Hailey Baptiste 7-5, 5-7, 6-4; Katie Volynets defeated Peyton Stearns 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; and China’s Shuai Zhang overcame a slow start in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova.
Boulter was thrilled to put “a tough couple of months” behind her, having fallen in the second round at Wimbledon and the first round of the U.S. Open.
“I’m really pleased with how I’m now putting myself out there and fighting for every point,” Boulter said, per the BBC. “She (Baptiste) was playing such disruptive tennis but I stayed mentally strong and found a way to get through it. I did well to get through that match.”
Poland’s Iga Swiatek is the No. 1 seed and defending champion Coco Gauff is No. 2. Gauff will open against Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, a 6-4, 6-1 winner against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.
It was an up-and-day for the rest of the American contingent, with McCartney Kesler defeating China’s Han Shi 6-2, 7-6 (5) and Caty McNally eliminating Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-2 but Caroline Dolehide falling 6-2, 6-3 to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Other first-round winners included Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, Croatia’s Antonio Ruzic, Germany’s Eva Lys, Czechs Barbora Krejcikova and Marie Bouzkova, Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova and Hungary’s Anna Bondar.
–Field Level Media
