CINCINNATI: Elina Svitolina came back from a set down to beat Chinese qualifier Wang Yafan 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 and reach the second round of the Cincinnati Open.
Svitolina had a 4-1 lead over Wang before play was interrupted due to a sick spectator. When play resumed, Wang won three consecutive games to get the set back on serve and kept that momentum going to take the set 7-5.
She immediately reset herself in the second set. The Ukrainian veteran hit nine aces and saved six of eight break points, as Svitolina kept Wang at bay for the remainder of the match to secure her first Cincinnati win since 2019.
She will next face either No. 14 seed Victoria Azarenka or lucky loser Lucia Bronzetti. The Italian reached the main draw after Canadian Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the tournament due to exhaustion.
In other action, France’s Varvara Gracheva beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5) to set up a second-round clash with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, while Marta Kostyuk came back from a break down in the third set to beat Elise Mertens 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Kostyuk will face Wimbledon quarterfinalist Lulu Sun, who beat Linda Noskova 6-4, 7-6(4).
A day after beating Naomi Osaka in the final round of qualifying, Ashlyn Krueger advanced to Round 2 by beating Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-2.
