Petra Kvitova narrowly defeats Garbine Muguruza in heavy US Open contest

Petra Kvitova raises her fist in victory after a dramatic third round match at the US Open against Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza gave it everything she had in an up and down battle but knew she lost to a difficult opponent at the US Open Saturday. Petra Kvitova’s game was far from perfect, committing so many double faults and errors, but dug in through every moment on the court to win 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(10) at Louis Armstrong Stadium at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the sixth win for the Czech against the Spaniard, who got the hint once more that no matter how many points, her opponent had the stamina to pull out the win.

The Spaniard added another victory in the year’s final slam, handling the young Czech in her second-round match Thursday. In her path was the former world number two, who had a leg up on Muguruza, beating her one of the five times at the US Open. They last met in the final of Doha twice, where Kvitova handed the 28-year-old defeats for the title. With a chance to win three matches in a row for the first time since winning the WTA championship last year, the ninth seed eyed a way to stop her losing streak to her rival.

Kvitova started first, allowing the ninth seed just one point in the opening game. The Spaniard beat her opponent with a serve to love but then witnessed the Czech pull off the same feat. Muguruza leveled the score at two-all with her second shutout of the 21st seed. Making a statement was important early for Muguruza, who denied Kvitova a second serve to love. Her smashed shot near the net got her into the score, but the Czech delivered a sliced winner to steer herself to the lead.

Gaining a break in the sixth started with errors from the Spaniard, followed by three forehand winners that made it 4-2 for Kvitova. A break back kept the ninth seed within reach of the Czech, who wanted to keep her pace in check. Muguruza carried the momentum with a six-point streak until a pushback in the eighth stopped a serve to love. The 28-year-old still consolidated for a four-all situation at the business end of the set.

Despite committing a third double fault, Kvitova pulled together the wide serves, helping her lead at 5-4. Getting the pressure on Muguruza was key, but a fight ensued while she held control from her end. Kvitova used her crosscourt as a way to force deuce, but the ninth seed set up the win to go on in the set. Kvitova served for a shot to tie, but her attempts to hit it left failed. She suffered three double faults, gifting Muguruza the 6-5 lead a window of opportunity to steal the set.

The Czech tried to pull some tricks when she got to deuce, but some of her ideas didn’t work out. Muguruza fed off the errors and carried off the set in 44 minutes in a serious change of momentum. Kvitova allowed the set to get away due to six double faults and 17 unforced errors. Muguruza managed to add up the winners to 7, causing the damage as well.

Kvitova was fortunate to take a short break off the court and return to serve the second. She started with a winner before drawing an error for the lead. The Czech landed her fifth ace and placed a winner thereafter to secure the service. Muguruza responded with a serve to love, showing her opponent she remained in charge. Kvitova delivered three aces on serve but faced adversity from the Spaniard.

They held serve through three games until a redirect return for Kvitova in the sixth brought up a break chance. She capped it on another redirect from Muguruza, gaining a 4-2 hold to dig in for control. Kvitova fell behind on serve in the seventh, but getting errors off Muguruza helped her build more confidence while clouding her opponent’s focus. On game point, Kvitova consolidated with a clean winner from the forehand, closing in on the set. Muguruza didn’t worry about the score and focused on getting into game point position to close out her service.

Kvitova fought back to get the errors out of her opponent and force deuce. After two breaks, it was the Czech giving up the break chance, but she had time to get the set under her belt. The 21st seed played the whole court to her advantage, but on set point, she double-faulted on her attempt to ace Muguruza. She managed to keep the mission at hand and closed the second with her seventh ace in 41 minutes. Though she notched 11 errors, making 16 winners against the ninth seed proved that she could make this a challenge, but her ball toss had to improve going into the decider.

Both came in the third, focused, and held through four games, despite some small deficits. Muguruza was the first to break ahead, holding Kvitova to point while serving, and broke her in the sixth, pulling off the same feat. She took advantage of a two-game winning streak, making it three straight for a 5-2 stand on the 21st seed. Unforced errors continued to take a toll on the Czech, as she recorded more than ever against Muguruza, who played for the match and a major upset.

Kvitova struggled with the double fault, notching her tenth of the day, but somehow came through the service. It was up to the Spaniard to serve out the ninth game but double-faulted for her third of the match. She remained ahead of the Czech, who committed her 40th error of the match, but it was opened wide on a terrific return from her end, on the following point.

The pressure was felt by the 28-year-old, who sent another ball into the net, bringing up a break for Kvitova. The Czech got it on a long ball return from Muguruza, who had one game left to end the competition. Kvitova served strong in the tenth, pushing out the errors from Muguruza to complete the comeback of being 2-5 down and back in the hunt. The 28-year-old was first to act in the 11th, gaining a 40-0 lead and holding the Czech to a point.

Kvitova found herself trailing during a critical moment, giving Muguruza a chance to take the match away. The 21st seed made her way back to deuce, but a 12th double fault set up a second match point that went into the net. Kvitova earned an AD point chance to force a tiebreak, but a 13th double fault came from her service. A second attempt came back on a sliced winner from Muguruza, who forced a fifth break. Kvitova got the AD point back to her end, making three a charm and a tiebreak into action.

It was a race to ten points, and through the first six, the score was tied, with Kvitova serving for the lead. A long return gave the ninth seed the minibreak but handed one right back to her opponent. The Czech reached the halfway mark, gaining another on a forced winner. Kvitova achieved three straight points for a decent lead and kept three points between them after gaining eight. She gave up two on balls long of the baseline, putting the Spaniard within reach.

The ninth seed tried to go for the tie but instead handed Kvitova a second match point. It didn’t go as planned when they got into a lob volley battle inside the court, making it nine apiece. Kvitova brought up a third match point, but it went south on an error that opened the door for Muguruza, who saw it close on a line drive winner. It was the one that set up Kvitova for the long-awaited win, scoring the victory in 2 hours and 39 minutes. The two combined 217 points played and Kvitova with 50 unforced errors on the day. Despite that massive struggle, she notched 43 winners and only double-faulted four in the final set to come through by the last two points.

Garbine Muguruza steps into third round in straight sets win at US Open

Garbine Muguruza celebates her second round win at the US Open 

Garbine Muguruza was happy with the results that led her to a second win at the US Open Thursday. The 28-year-old smashed into Linda Fruhvirtova in the opening set, then handled the competition to keep her back in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. The Spaniard handled the tough moments late in the match and put her best to advance forward in the tournament.

The Spaniard did well to improve her offensive output, winning in straight sets against Clara Tauson. Despite not having experience against Fruhvirtova, she would require caution and focus due to the Czech’s strong win over Xinyu Wang on Tuesday. Getting a second win was imperative for Muguruza, who hadn’t posted back-to-back victories in any slam this season.

The start of the set was a bit shocking for the Czech, but more for Muguruza, who watched the competition double fault and lose the service. The early break was consolidated, all while Fruhvirtova struggled with the returns. Muguruza wasn’t at full speed, but the troubles on the first serve for the teen led to another break of serve. She was given no chance to recover as Muguruza served to love in the fourth.

In the fifth, Fruhvirtova tallied just her fourth point of the set, but the service didn’t come around and instead, double faults did. By the time it was 6-0 for the ninth seed, only 19 minutes elapsed, and a clear indication of what the Czech teen had wrong. She posted five points to Muguruza’s 24 and erred eight times while suffering 11 of the Spaniard’s winners.

Fruhvirtova left the court for a moment to try and recover. When the second got underway, she managed to improve with an extra ball to Muguruza here and there, scoring a victory. Breaking the Spaniard proved well as she won 8 of the first 10 points. It was soon 3-0 for the youngster, who looked to completely turn around a bad start and threaten the former world number one. The 28-year-old got on the board in the fourth, but it was still an uphill battle no matter the level of her opponent.

Fruhvirtova pulled off a shutout in the following game, making it look like a third set was on the horizon. Muguruza worked hard on serve in the sixth, digging deep for control of the Czech and notch wins while the opportunity last. After saving three breakpoints in the game, she went after Fruhvirtova in the seventh, gaining two breakpoints before sitting a game down.

Getting even with the teen was not without problems, as she struggled to get the game point. Fruhvirtova climbed back from 40-15 to force deuce but failed to gain an AD point. Muguruza made her pay for that when she committed mistakes that broke her to love in the ninth. She recovered well in the tenth, gaining three breakpoints, but the ninth seed fought back to force deuce. After killing off the fourth attempt from Fruhvirtova, Muguruza produced match points and sealed the victory on her second try to complete her day on court in 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

Belinda Bencic achieves major comeback to win at US Open

Belinda Bencic clnches her fist during a challenging second-round match with Sorana Cirstea at the US Open. 

Belinda Bencic worked her way through a tremendous comeback at the US Open Thursday. Seeing her almost out in the second round, Sorana Cirstea gave the 13th seed a window of opportunity to win it 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Court 11 at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. Both recorded many points and were even on winners to unforced errors, but the change in momentum played a role in Bencic’s victory.

Two weeks ago, the Romanian gained her second win over Bencic, winning in a tight three-setter. The early exit put the 25-year-old on a long preparation to be at her best in the final slam. Going against Andrea Petkovic was no easy task, as the German played for her career. Dispatching the tennis veteran took the full run of action, and facing Cirstea again meant getting into a higher gear. The Romanian holds the series lead, and with the recent experience against the 13th seed, she would try to keep her momentum level as she did against Laura Siegemund.

Cirstea pulled off a serve to love as a way of starting the match with Bencic, who held her opponent to a point before holding. The 25-year-old challenged the Romanian on serve, coming back from 40-15 to deuce. Bencic took the AD point and broke for the lead, but gaining a two-game buffer was out of the question from Cirstea’s end. She drew errors out of the Swiss to force deuce and earned the break back on another error.

The Romanian consolidated for the lead after the fifth, feeling confident about her strengths taking shape. Bencic stayed close to remain level with Cirstea, waiting for her chance to get back in front. The 32-year-old didn’t give a line to her opponent and instead broke her for a commanding 5-3 lead. Serving for the set, Cirstea continued to hit the balls right where she wanted them.

She went for a sliced serve that came back wide from the 13th seed, taking the first in 36 minutes. The errors were low from both players, but the Romanian scored 15 of 18 points from the first serve, while the Swiss struggled for a better output. Bencic opened the second set with an important service hold because Cirstea showed no wasted time leveling the score.

Bencic gained the leverage of being ahead on the scoreboard after holding serve, but gaining a break remained a difficult feat. Having only one from the first set, getting a second on Cirstea in the fourth was nearly impossible. They played eight minutes with some of it fighting on deuce until the third break stayed with the Romanian to hold. Bencic smashed a ball in frustration after it was over, falling behind on serve only made it worse. The Romanian broke Bencic to love for the lead in the fifth, further angering the 13th seed.

She kept up the mission to break Cirstea, but the 32-year-old answered her to bring the game to deuce. It was a tug of war with tension on both sides, as either player wanted the win. After saving two break points, Cirstea watched happily, as Bencic erred to give her a 4-2 lead. The Swiss held serve in the seventh to inch within reach of Cirstea, but it was still an uphill fight. Cirstea went back to the two-game buffer, holding together in the eighth, adding pressure on Bencic.

The 13th seed assured herself further time on the court, giving only one point to the Romanian in the ninth. Sitting a game down moved the pressure on Cirstea, who knew that giving any ground during the business end of the set would ruin her chance to get away. The Romanian watched Bencic get a jump on the score, forcing her to fight back. A massive blunder for Bencic came when an easy smash went into the net, leaving her devastated. She somehow saved the game, scoring two points with a line drive winner for a five-all tie.

The accomplishment turned the tables in favor of the 13th seed, who went on a tear of Cirstea. Allowing her opponent three points through two games, Bencic took the second set in one hour and four minutes, assuring herself a chance to be the one in control. She opened the third set, keeping the Romanian behind her on serve. Converting a break was still a tough task for the 13th seed, who forced deuce but couldn’t get an AD point to go her way.

She continued to lead, scoring a winner and an ace that went as her sixth of the match. From the third game, Bencic pulled off a key break in the fourth, before taking a 4-1 grip of the set. Cirstea got a serve locked down, but Bencic held to sit at 5-2, turning the pressure up on her opponent. The Romanian fell behind 0-30 but painted the tramlines to recover.

A chance for her to add another win faltered when Bencic forced deuce on a line drive winner. After a double fault occurred, Cirstea saved it, but on Bencic’s second match point, she watched the shot go into the net, ending a truly successful comeback for the 13th seed that took 2 hours and 27 minutes.

Victoria Azarenka clears her path to the third round in straight sets at the US Open

Victoria Azarenka celebrates a hard-fought win in the second round of the US open against Marta Kostyuk

Victoria Azarenka used her experience and focus, to get through the second round at the US Open Thursday. The 26th seed held back Marta Kostyuk in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-3 score on Court 17 at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. The Ukrainian had 23 winners, but 31 errors allowed Azarenka to conduct her own game and ease into victory.

It was their first meeting and one that had tension due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Kostyuk worked hard in her third main draw appearance, edging Mayar Sherif in straight sets. In the hopes of matching her 2020 run and beyond, she would need to adjust to the level Azarenka brought to the court. The 26th seed almost had a clean breakaway in straight sets when she led 4-1, but a fightback from Ashlyn Krueger, pushing the match to three sets, where the 33-year-old locked down the victory. Knowing that she couldn’t let a slip-up like that happen again, Azarenka had to stay focused and not let the current status of their respective countries get in the way of tennis.

Both got into the motions holding their serve, until the third game when Kostyuk gave herself opportunities to break. Azarenka worked through the fight at deuce, holding after a couple of breaks that denied her opponent any AD points. The 33-year-old had no problems giving back the adversity, earning double break point before closing Kostyuk out on serve. The Ukrainian kept her intensity high, dealing heavy returns at the former world number one. Her push to deuce went four breaks, but each time she blew the breakpoint, she had Azarenka to thank.

The 26th seed gained a 4-1 lead on the Ukrainian, who put together a better service game in the sixth but sat two games down. Playing every point, Kostyuk was on Azarenka until the late part of the seventh, when she hit solid shots that put the threat aside. The 33-year-old kept the offense high, going for the set against Kostyuk, who could only watch her opponent take away the first set in 40 minutes. The Ukrainian had 16 errors and winners, leaving too much room for Azarenka to work with.

She couldn’t shake off her inconsistencies, giving Azarenka dictation on winning 10 of the first 14 points. She led 3-0 on the Ukrainian, who ran side to side, trying to return the cross courts. A double fault didn’t make it easier for Kostyuk, who handed Azarenka another win. A relief for the Ukrainian arrived, getting ahead of the 33-year-old to earn the break of serve in the fifth.

She fought back while on serve, finding the points on redirects away from Azarenka, who ended up taking the air out of her opponent and serve for the match. The Ukrainian denied the 26th seed a way out on serve, gaining a second victory in the set. Kostyuk got into trouble on serve, when she double-faulted, giving Azarenka two match points. She saved both in response, forcing deuce to hold on a return miscue.

The 20-year-old had a lot going right for herself, but errors in the ninth opened the door for the 26th seed to walk away. Using the hard forehands, Azarenka took the Ukrainian out of the competition with a winner to end her day on court in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Belinda Bencic edges Andrea Petkovic in US Open three setter

Belinda Bencic celebrates a key point during her first round match with Andrea Petkovic at the US Open. 

Belinda Bencic played through the motions to be victorious at the US Open. Andrea Petkovic gave it her best shot and had a chance to continue, but the Swiss star sped up the pace late with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win on Court 7 at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. It gave Bencic her fifth win against Petkovic, who announced her retirement from the sport.

It marked the sixth meeting for the two and the first in New York since 2016, when Bencic won her second match against Petkovic. Having been off course from one another for four years, rekindling their rivalry in their first round meant a heavy battle. Both have big right forehands and can run for the shots, but Bencic’s youth plays an advantage against the 34-year-old. The German had a short stint leading up to the slam, while Bencic played it smart and went deep in Toronto. Despite her quarterfinal loss, she took time off to regroup and be on point for another run at a maiden slam.

She opened the match with a break to love of Petkovic and added a serve to love on top of that. Having won the first eight points, Bencic handed the German her first, with a return error in the third. It opened the door for Petkovic to play the rest of her service and clinch the win that brought heavy applause from the stands. Despite the loss of absolute control of the pace, Bencic moved forward into the fourth game on serve, dealing with the wind that picked up on the court. It led to a double fault and a chance on deuce for the 34-year-old.

Bencic committed a second one on account of the wind but adjusted to keep the rally in between the lines. After two breaks, the Swiss star kept her strategy in check, taking a 3-1 lead. Petkovic tallied another hold of serve in the fifth, keeping in touch with the 13th seed. By the seventh game, Bencic kept it to three and served for the set drawing errors from the German. Reaching two set points, the 25-year-old got one more error out of Petkovic to take the first in 30 minutes.

Petkovic had a better output on first serves, but winning points from it was all on Bencic, who kept the errors low at six and outscored her opponent 28-16. The 34-year-old wanted to turn things around in the second set and started strong with a hold in the first. Bencic followed suit but watched as the German intensified her shots across the court, finding the marks that she wanted. After blanking the 13th seed for the lead in the third, Petkovic broke her, gaining an opportunity due to errors.

Petkovic consolidated the effort with another service to love, reaching 4-1 in the set. Bencic knew she couldn’t let a fourth game get away from her and served up balls away from Petkovic, bringing the margin down to two. The seventh game had Bencic pushing for a break of the German, but she wasn’t having any of it. She reached a game point, but couldn’t put it away, sending them to a long fight for the win.

The two played six breaks of deuce with Petkovic saving three of them. It wasn’t until Bencic gained another AD point, that it would be the one to put her a game down and a chance to level on serve. The 13th seed accomplished her task, getting to four-all holding Petkovic back. She responded in the shape of a serve to love, earning a shot at taking the set from Bencic. The German veteran gained two breakpoints but watched the Swiss level up and reach a game point.

A forehand error from the 13th seed got Petkovic to deuce, who then scored a winner for the AD point. It was there that Bencic double-faulted and gifted the win to Petkovic, opening the door for a potential upset in the deciding set. It was the third double that Bencic produced in the set and seventh overall causing her to struggle with her accuracy and low amount of winners.

Petkovic opened scoring in the third, holding Bencic to a point while earning cheers from her supporters in the stands. Bencic responded in the second with hard hits for the game, but she still felt the pressure from the 34-year-old. The 13th seed suffered a bad ending to the third when she got on the board and was ready to make a fight to deuce. Petkovic’s return on game point hit the net and landed on Bencic’s side, giving her the 2-1 lead.

The Swiss held serve in the fourth, but gaining any leverage against her opponent was not in sight. The two held service through four games as they entered the business end of the match, and Petkovic was still in control of the pace. Bencic went big in the ninth, forcing errors on her opponent to earn the break. With a shot to end the day with her rival, the 13th seed served for the match and achieved three match points.

An ace brought it all to a conclusion for the Swiss, who got the win in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Knowing that this was her last time fighting to the bitter end, the players embraced at the net for a time before the German waved to the entire court. Bencic will await Sorana Cirstea in the second-round, but would not forget the fight her longtime rival gave her.

Garbine Muguruza performs well against Clara Tauson at the US Open

Garbine Muguruza celebrates improvements to her game at the US Open. 

Garbine Muguruza was happy at the way she played her best at the US Open Tuesday. The Spaniard had some challenges from Clara Tauson but remained the stronger player on the court, winning 6-3, 7-6(5) on Court 5 at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. It marked the second major win this season for the ninth-seeded Spaniard and one that she truly needed to make a stand in the tournament.

The Spaniard came into the final slam with a heavy slump, losing early at Wimbledon, Toronto, and Cincinnati. With early exits seven times in nine appearances, it leaves Tauson a chance to reach the second round in consecutive years. The teenage Dane worked three matches in Concord and two in Cleveland, giving her a chance to push through in New York. Facing Muguruza in the first round could be intimidating, but getting on the right track might bring an upset on the horizon.

The Spaniard chose to serve first and delivered a big statement to Tauson, moving well to score easy points. Tauson had a chance to close and level up easy, but unforced errors forced the game to deuce. She battled back the problems, finding her rhythm back to hold her third AD point. The tension in her racket was becoming an obvious problem for the Dane as she racked up the errors on Muguruza, who wanted to get back into leading. Needing to force deuce, the 28-year-old rallied to hold off Clauson and lead 2-1.

Clauson battled her racket, which was the cause of 12 errors, but two double faults in the fourth made it worse, handing Muguruza the break. The ninth seed easily consolidated on serve for a 4-1 grip of the set, giving her a much-needed boost of confidence. Tauson worked hard to get back into action, battling Muguruza on serve in the sixth. The Spaniard took her chances on deuce, but after a breakpoint failed, the Dane fought two more AD point opportunities to cap one down.

Having invested so much energy into the previous game, Muguruza fired off a shutout in the seventh, putting Tauson under pressure. The teenager focused on the forehand and avoided another deuce draw with Muguruza to hold again. Finding her core tennis game, Muguruza took care of business in the ninth, holding Tauson to a point to finish the set in 46 minutes.

The ninth seed had a strong offense on both serves that drew errors from the Danish teen. Tauson racked up 23 errors that took away from the nine winners she managed to score. Seeing the Spaniard on top of her game, the 19-year-old needed more to push the match deep.

She won the first game on serve in the second set and went hunting for the break in the next game, leveling with Muguruza on the score. They went to deuce, with Muguruza making Tauson pay with an easy path to hold serve. Nothing was simple about the third game as the Dane fell behind, saving two breakpoints for deuce. After three breaks and eight minutes elapsed, Tauson found the last point easy to put away before suddenly calling for the trainer.

Her right knee caused her discomfort, and after the consultation, she received a medical timeout. After being taped up for three minutes, play resumed with Muguruza serving for a shot to tie. The Spaniard almost had a serve to love, but two points from Tauson made their mark. A third was denied by the ninth seed, who leveled on a winner and went hunting for more. Muguruza dug in when she opened the fifth, drawing errors from Tauson. It led to the first break of the set, but Tauson broke right back in the sixth to tie the score. The Dane backed up the break, adding pressure to Muguruza, who loosened up and allowed her opponent too much comfort on the court.

The Spaniard dug in on serve to bring the score to four-all, but Tauson was playing better at the business end of the set. She went to deuce in the ninth, playing every point and staying right with the returns. On rally for the last point, Tauson stayed with the pace until she watched Muguruza hit wide, clinching her a 5-4 lead and a heavy momentum.

The 19-year-old went into the tenth game with three set points, only to see Muguruza smash a line drive winner. The Spaniard drew an error from her second serve and another to save every set point. On deuce, Muguruza forced another error out of Tauson but blew the AD point with a shot into the net. She kept up the strategy to draw errors until one from the Dane landed long to give her a five-all score.

Despite lost opportunities, Tauson’s strengths were not all gone as she proved her worth in the 11th, holding Muguruza back on serve. The Spaniard aced her way to a shutout, forcing a tiebreak with Tauson, who didn’t have as much experience as her seasoned opponent. Instead of being in control, Tauson had the double minibreak for a 3-0 run against Muguruza. The ninth seed got three points on the board but still trailed a minibreak of the Dane.

She gained one to tie at four-all on a wide return from the teen but lost her chance to lead on a long ball from the baseline. She got to five-all on a dramatic rally that ended with Tauson’s error. Muguruza blasted an ace for match point and gained the win on an error into the net to stay in the tournament after 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Qinwen Zheng out plays Jelena Ostapenko in three sets at US Open

Qinwen Zheng celebrates a point during her US Open debut against Jelena Ostapenko 

Qinwen Zheng brought the aces that took down the competition at the US Open Tuesday. The 19-year-old had a full-on consistent game from start to finish against Jelena Ostapenko, who couldn’t keep up in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 score on Court 4 at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. Zheng scored 21 aces in total, damaging the 16th seed to fall out in the first round.

It was Ostapenko’s first match back in New York since 2019, where she made it to the third round three years in a row. Facing the Chinese star was a new test for the 25-year-old, who had a less than expected run in Toronto and Cincinnati. Zheng made it further in Canada than the Latvian, defeating Ons Jabeur and Bianca Andreescu. Skipping the Western & Southern Open gave the teenager a chance to rest and prep for the final slam of the year. With the hope of making it four in a row, Ostapenko had to be in good shape to stop Zheng in her Open debut.

Zheng served to start the match but double-faulted after winning the first two points. Ostapenko was given a chance when Zheng’s second serve faltered, but the teen held the game to a break. The Latvian’s offense stumbled through the second, giving the Chinese star a breakpoint win. The 16th seed took her chance to break back in the third and went for a push in the fourth leading 40-0 on serve. Zheng got a point across, but Ostapenko assured herself to even the score.

Zheng held her end in the fifth, making it a battle for the 25-year-old to keep up. Ostapenko didn’t have the consistency to keep up with the teen’s pace and faltered to giving up a break. With a two-game buffer, Zheng consolidated with a precise attack on her sixth and seventh ace. Down 2-5, the 16th seed served to extend the set, keeping the teen behind on the score to hold serve. Zheng stayed on course and frustrated Ostapenko before capping a 5-3 break.

On serve for the set, the 19-year-old gained a 40-0 run and watched every set point opportunity go aside. Despite her opponent’s attempts at killing more, the Chinese teen found a way to lock one down after the first break, closing out the first in 36 minutes. Her first serve was a powerful workhorse on the court, notching 83 percent of points on the first serve and 14 winners. Keeping the unforced errors down was an accomplishment, but ten aces against the 16th seed said a lot about the offense she brought to the court.

Ostapenko served to begin the second and fought Zheng, who refused to give her any room to maneuver. They played two breaks, but a key winner for Ostapenko put her on the right foot in her moment to turn the match around. Zheng remained on course in the second, holding serve and patience wrapped up together. When she came into service in the fourth, Ostapenko found a way to make her opponent crack and suffer a break.

Gaining a lead for the first time in the match, the 25-year-old wanted more out of her offense, but fell behind on serve in the fifth. The Latvian rallied back only to be denied game point and forced to deuce. Zheng took her shot to break and successfully put a game between herself and the 16th seed. Backing up the break made it three-all for Zheng, but the seventh was just another battle for control, which Ostapenko wanted to keep.

They went to deuce for the fifth time in the match, where the 16th seed saved breakpoint and held to stay out front. Gaining the break on Zheng made it 5-3 for Ostapenko, who served to force the two into a decider. Finding it deep inside her, the 25-year-old pulled off a serve to love, ending the second set in 41 minutes.

Improvements were the key to her going three with Zheng, winning 14 of 18 points from the first serve and limiting the errors to five. Zheng managed just half the number of aces in the set and double the faults that made it anyone’s victory going into the third. Ostapenko picked up right where she left off in the second and went for a break to love on Zheng to get the third set rolling. The 16th seed consolidated the serve in the second, but the Chinese teen pulled off the same feat to even the score through four.

Ostapenko broke back again in the fifth, but Zheng notched the double break to sit at three-all. It was a neck-and-neck race to the finish line, with each player holding serve through the next three games. With Zheng gaining the advantage of serving out the ninth, Ostapenko was under pressure to keep herself in check.

She erred on both sides of the service, but more from the forehand. Zheng had match point, but let it slip away on a forced error. She was awarded the second when Ostapenko erred on the forehand, bringing her down in 1 hour and 34 minutes.