New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Qualifying put on hold
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-yearold 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 practicing and start a match again, so I'm very happy with two wins here.
“I actually thought I was qualified,” Bencic said. “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 18year-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 win over No. 4 seed SuWei Hsieh. The 23-yearold won her first WTA main draw match in two years last month in China after a torrid run with injuries.
Third-seeded Italian Camilla Giorgi reached the final round of qualifying after Australian Ellen Perez withdrew due to gastrointestinal illness. The 2018 Wimbledon quarterfinalist 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 topsyturvy affair to see off lefthanded 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.