Russian teenager Diana Shnaider secured a victory over American Claire Liu in the first round of the Guangzhou Open in China. Shnaider dominated the match, winning six consecutive games in the first set and overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the second set. She broke Liu’s serve six times out of eight opportunities.
In another upset, sixth-seeded Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic was eliminated by Denmark’s Clara Tauson. Tauson won the match 6-2, 7-6 (6). However, top-seeded Magda Linette of Poland managed to avoid a similar fate by rallying past Jodie Burrage of Great Britain. Linette won the match 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-2.
Several other seeded players emerged victorious in their opening matches. Fifth-seeded Rebeka Masarova of Spain, seventh-seeded Greet Minnen of Belgium, and Harriet Dart of Great Britain all advanced to the next round.
At the Guadalajara Open Akron, Hailey Baptiste from Washington, D.C., staged an impressive comeback to defeat 16th-seeded Karolina Pliskova. Baptiste saved a match point and won the match 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (4). This victory marks the first time Baptiste has reached the third round of a WTA event above the 125 level in her career.
Pliskova, representing the Czech Republic, had a strong lead of 5-2 in the third set and even had a match point at 5-4, 40-30. However, she failed to convert and ultimately lost the match.
In other second-round matches, Martina Trevisan defeated 15th-seeded Jasmine Paolini in an all-Italian matchup, and seventh-seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russia overcame Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard. Trevisan won 7-5, 6-2, while Kudermetova secured a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 victory.
The first round also saw notable wins from 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and American players Caroline Dolehide, Emma Navarro, Sofia Kenin, and Sachia Vickery. Additionally, Colombia’s Emiliana Arango eliminated 11th-seeded Russian Anastasia Potapova, and Italy’s Camila Giorgi defeated Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, the No. 14 seed.
These results showcase the exciting and unpredictable nature of professional tennis tournaments.
