Connecticut Open – Saturday Results, Sunday Order of Play

(August 19, 2018) In a battle of former junior world No.1s at the Connecticut Open on Saturday, Belinda Bencic scored a win for her confidence with a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2 victory over 16-year-old American Whitney Osuigwe to reach the final round of qualifying.

It was her second straight win from a set down and went some way to shutting out the memories of having let match points slip in each of her past two tournaments, against Andrea Petkovic and Christina McHale, respectively.

 “Every victory is very satisfying,” Bencic said in light of her injury struggles, which included wrist surgery last year. “Obviously, it’s very frustrating. I had two match points in Washington and Cincy so it’s kind of very tough mentally to then keep practising and start a match again so I’m very happy with two wins here. “I actually thought I was qualified. I thought it was two rounds because Montreal and Cincinnati it’s two rounds so I came off the court and was like ‘main draw!’ ‘No, you have one more match to go’.”

Another rising teenager, Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, will attempt to end Bencic’s qualifying campaign at the final hurdle on Sunday. The 18-year-old advanced with a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) win over No.11 seed Magda Linette.

Earlier, 2016 Rio Olympic Games gold medallist Monica Puig had taken the first set over former world No.9 Andrea Petkovic before the German retired with a left thigh injury. Puig advanced 7-6(4), 1-1 ret’d to set a final round qualifying showdown with Maria Gasparyan. The Russian, using a protected ranking, saved a match point in the second-set tie-break to grind out a 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3 over No.4 seed Su-Wei Hsieh. The 23-year-old won her first WTA main draw match in two years last month in China after a torrid run with injuries. 

Third-seeded Italian Camila Giorgi reached the final round of qualifying after Australian Ellen Perez withdrew due to gastrointestinal illness. The 2018 Wimbledon quarter-finalist will face another Australian, former US Open champion Sam Stosur for a place in the main draw.

Stosur had taken the first set 6-3 against Stefanie Voegele before the Swiss withdrew with a right groin injury.

Top seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich won a topsy-turvy affair to see off left-handed Czech, Krystina Pliskova 6-1, 1-6, 6-1. The Belarusian, who beat Pliskova’s countrywoman and three-time Connecticut Open champion Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon, will bid to win through qualifying for her second straight event, having done so a week ago in Cincinnati.

Results – Saturday, Aug 18

Women’s Qualifying Singles
Second Round
Qualifying – [1] A. Sasnovich (BLR) d Kr. Pliskova (CZE) 61 16 61
Qualifying – [3] C. Giorgi (ITA) d [Alt] E. Perez (AUS) walkover
Qualifying – M. Gasparyan (RUS) d [4] S. Hsieh (TPE) 46 76(8) 63
Qualifying – [5] B. Bencic (SUI) d [WC] W. Osuigwe (USA) 67(5) 62 62
Qualifying – D. Yastremska (UKR) d [11] M. Linette (POL) 76(3) 76(4)
Qualifying – P. Parmentier (FRA) d C. Witthoeft (GER) 75 62
Qualifying – A. Bogdan (ROU) d A. Blinkova (RUS) 63 60
Qualifying – S. Stosur (AUS) d S. Voegele (SUI) 63 00 Retired
Qualifying – M. Puig (PUR) d A. Petkovic (GER) 76(4) 11 Retired
Qualifying – Z. Diyas (KAZ) d V. Lapko (BLR) 61 36 63

Schedule – Sunday, Aug 19

STADIUM start 11:00 am
M. Rybarikova (SVK) vs [WC] C. Vandeweghe (USA)
D. Cibulkova (SVK) vs [5] J. Goerges (GER)
[8] B. Strycova (CZE) vs C. Suárez Navarro (ESP)
I. Begu (ROU) vs [9] D. Gavrilova (AUS)

SPORTMASTER GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
Qualifying – R. Peterson (SWE) vs S. Kenin (USA) 56
Qualifying – M. Gasparyan (RUS) vs M. Puig (PUR)
after suitable rest – Qualifying – R. Peterson (SWE) or S. Kenin (USA) vs A. Bogdan (ROU)
A. Rosolska (POL) / A. Spears (USA) vs R. Atawo (USA) / A. Groenefeld (GER)
D. Jurak (CRO) / R. Olaru (ROU) vs D. Jakupovic (SLO) / R. Voracova (CZE)

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
Qualifying – [6] K. Flipkens (BEL) vs T. Zidansek (SLO) 36 24
Qualifying – [5] B. Bencic (SUI) vs D. Yastremska (UKR)
after suitable rest – Qualifying – [6] K. Flipkens (BEL) or T. Zidansek (SLO) vs Z. Diyas (KAZ)

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
Qualifying – [3] C. Giorgi (ITA) vs S. Stosur (AUS)
Qualifying – [1] A. Sasnovich (BLR) vs P. Parmentier (FRA)

COURT C start 11:00 am
Ellen PEREZ (AUS) Lizette CABRERA (AUS)