Top-seeded Sorana Cirstea survived a three-hour, 10-minute test from Maria Timofeeva of Uzbekistan, pulling out a 7-6 (6), 1-6, 7-5 victory Tuesday in the first round of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
Cirstea recovered from an early break in the opening set and eventually moved ahead 5-2 before Timofeeva rallied to force a tiebreaker. The Romanian escaped that 8-6, then won only one game in the second set. Timofeeva broke Cirstea in the opening game of the decider, but Cirstea answered to draw even at 2-2 and finally broke again in the 12th game to close out the match. Timofeeva actually won more total points, 121-119, despite taking the loss.
Second-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines had an easier passage, defeating British lucky loser Emerson Jones in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Eala raced to leads of 4-0 in the first set and 5-1 in the second before holding off rallies by Jones. Fifth seed Talia Gibson of Australia also advanced, overcoming a 5-3 deficit in the opening set to beat Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Russian qualifier Alexandra Shubladze produced the day’s biggest upset in Hong Kong, rallying past seventh-seeded compatriot Liudmila Samsonova 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 for her first tour-level victory. Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey defeated Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-2, while Czech teenager Tereza Valentova beat Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume 6-3, 7-5. Australia’s Maya Joint topped countrywoman Maddison Inglis 7-5, 6-2, and Russian lucky loser Elena Pridankina advanced when Spain’s Paula Badosa retired after dropping the opening set 7-5.
Chennai Open
Top-seeded Janice Tjen of Indonesia began her title defense by cruising past American wild card Katherine Hui 6-1, 6-2 in first-round action at the WTA 250 event in Chennai, India.
Three other seeds were eliminated. American Robin Montgomery knocked out fourth-seeded Panna Udvardy of Hungary 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, while Japan’s Mai Hontama ousted No. 5 Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand 7-6 (3), 6-2. Indian wild card Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi, ranked No. 669, supplied another upset by edging eighth-seeded Katarzyna Kawa of Poland 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5).
Third-seeded Magda Linette of Poland survived Belarusian qualifier Aliona Falei 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-2, while No. 6 Polina Kudermetova of Uzbekistan defeated Slovak lucky loser Viktoria Morvayova 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Seventh-seeded Anastasia Zakharova of Russia defeated countrywoman Polina Iatcenko 7-6 (3), 6-1, and No. 10 Lucrezia Stefanini of Italy rolled past Russian lucky loser Rada Zolotareva 6-2, 6-2. India’s Vaishnavi Adkar earned her first tour-level victory by rallying from 3-5 down in the deciding set to defeat Britain’s Jodie Burrage 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
–Field Level Media
