Gippsland Trophy: Anastasia Potapova, Jelena Ostapenko reach second round
Anastasia Potapova was the first winner at the Gippsland Trophy in Melbourne on Sunday. The Russian beat Whitney Osuigwe in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 to start proceedings at the WTA 500 event. Potapova will face top-seed and world no. 2 Simona Halep in the second round. Halep received a first-round bye in the event.
Potapova’s compatriot, Daria Kasatkina also entered the second round. Kasatkina wrapped up a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu in her Melbourne opener. The Russian will play either countrywoman Margarita Gasparyan or 15th seed Polona Hercog of Slovenia in the second round.
Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi completed comeback wins in their respective first-round encounters. Sasnovich dropped the first set in her match against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko but went on to claim a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win eventually. Likewise, Kanepi dropped the opening set to Australia’s Astra Sharma before prevailing 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Sasnovich will play either Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu or 11th seed Saisai Zheng of China in the second round. Kanepi will take on fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the next round.
France’s 12th seed Caroline Garcia defeated Australian wildcard Arina Rodionova in their opening-round meeting. Garcia won in straight sets as well 6-3, 6-4. Next up for the Frenchwoman is either Romanian Patricia Maria Tig or Hungary’s Timea Babos.
Gippsland Trophy: Italians' tussle, and more comebacksItalians, meanwhile, had a mixed day on court in Melbourne.
Jasmine Paolini beat Canadian Rebecca Marino in their opening-round match-up 7-6(2), 6-3. Paolini will play the 10th seed Qiang Wang of China in the second round. However, in one of the most-awaited clashes of the day, Sara Errani lost to former French Open champion and 13th seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Errani won the opening set but the Latvian emerged as the better player over the latter two sets, going on to post a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win. Ostapenko will play Montenegrin Danka Kovinic in the second round. Kovinic won against Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia 6-3, 6-3.
Lastly, Bernarda Pera also advanced to the second round of the Gippsland Trophy. The American needed three sets to beat wildcard Olivia Gadecki of Australia. Gadecki won the first set in a tie-break but Pera took home a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-3 win eventually.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2MbCd2s
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