Kaohsiung: Monday Highlights
Highlights from first round action at the Taiwan Open.
Barbora Strycova has Tuesday’s shot of the day at the Western & Southern Open.
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Elizaveta Kulichkova showed why she was one to watch at the Taiwan Open, fighting her way out of a dangerous deficit to advance past Taiwanese wildcard Ya-Hsuan Lee, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Named by WTA Insider as part of Russia’s “Generation Next,” Kulichkova entered the tournament following some of the best results of her young career: at the Australian Open, she reached the 3rd round of a Grand Slam for the first time, dealing No.25 Andrea Petkovic an upset along the way.
In Kaohsiung, Kulichkova found herself in big trouble against Lee – the Russian dropped the first set and was actually down 0-3 in the second – before she found a way to play herself into the match.
“I didn’t play my best today so I didn’t feel so comfortable on court,” Kulichkova told wtatennis.com after her win.
“I just try to concentrate on my game, keep bringing back all the balls, and then I could come back eventually.”
Also coming back to advance into the second round is Donna Vekic, who notched her first WTA-level win of the year against Alison Riske in a seesaw match, 4-6, 7-5(5), 6-3.
The Croatian found herself four points away from defeat in the second set; Riske was serving for the match at 6-4, 6-5, before Vekic broke her serve at love to force a tiebreak before grabbing the set. Vekic hit nine aces to Riske’s 12 double faults in the two hour and forty minute-encounter.
The win was a boon for Vekic, who is now working with new coach David Felgate. The pair reunited before last month’s Australian Open after splitting in 2014.
Local favorite Su-Wei Hsieh survived a mid-match surge from Japan’s Ayama Okuno but advanced 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-2. Yulia Putintseva, Zarina Diyas, Saisai Zheng and Kurumi Nara are all through to the second round while Naomi Osaka – who was looking to follow up her incredible Australian Open run – fell to Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella in straight sets.
No.1 seed Venus Williams will wrap up the Taiwan Open’s first round action when she takes the court against Taiwanese wildcard Pei-Chi Lee tomorrow.
Watch live action from St. Petersburg & Kaohsiung this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Earlier this week, Vania King and Lauren Davis took a break from the Western & Southern Open to pay a visit to two Cincinnati-area hospitals.
Yanina Wickmayer had Tuesday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
PHOENIX, AZ, USA – A whirlwind homecoming for Olympic Gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands took her out to the ball game and out to the crowd on Wednesday, throwing the first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Treated to a night of peanuts and crackerjacks, there’s no telling whether the American Olympian cares if she’ll ever get back as she spent the game rooting for the home team, who beat the New York Mets, 13-5.
Check out Mattek-Sands at the old ball game on the Diamondbacks’ official Facebook page and right here on wtatennis.com!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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