This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Romania’s Ana Bogdan stormed back to defeat No. 2 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the first round of Tennis in the Land on Tuesday in Cleveland.
Bogdan cruised to a 5-0 lead in the third set. Fernandez saved seven match points in a marathon seventh game, eventually pushing the set to an eighth, but Bogdan then finished the job, having capitalized on Fernandez’s 11 double faults.
Czech third seed Katerina Siniakova and American sixth seed Peyton Stearns both needed three sets to advance. Siniakova rallied for a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Japan’s Sayaka Ishii, saving three match points in the ninth game of the third set as she dug out of a 5-1 hole.
Stearns beat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-0, 1-6, 6-1 despite committing eight double faults and saving none of the four break points she faced.
In other action, Belgium’s Greet Minnen and Spaniards Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Sara Sorribes Tormo advanced. The final match of the night was set to feature No. 1 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil against Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic.
–Field Level Media