Top-seeded Jessica Pegula survived an upset scare from Amanda Anisimova in an all-American affair in the first round of the Credit One Charleston Open, with Pegula escaping 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday in Charleston, S.C.
After dropping the first set and more or less controlling the second, Pegula squandered a 4-2 lead in the third set. She leapt out to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreaker before winning on her third match point.
Anisimova made Pegula work hard by saving 11 of 15 break points and winning more than half of her second return points (21 of 40).
But Pegula held firm, and in the third set she won 27 of her 39 service points in order to put away the two-hour, 26-minute match.
No. 3 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece defeated Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-3, while Magda Linette of Poland stormed back for a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 upset of Ukrainian 13th seed Dayana Yastremska.
Americans Sloane Stephens, Danielle Collins, Taylor Townsend, Ashlyn Krueger and Caroline Dolehide all won their first-round matches; Stephens took just 66 minutes to sweep Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-0, 6-2.
No. 8 seed Madison Keys fell to Romanian Jaqueline Cristian in the nightcap 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Copa Colsanitas Zurich Laura Pigossi of Brazil took down fifth seed Nadia Podoroska 6-4, 6-1 in a mere 75 minutes in opening-round action in Bogota, Colombia.
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Pigossi won an overwhelming 27 of 33 first-serve points (81.8 percent), saved three of four break points and broke Podoroska’s serve four times.
No. 2 seed Tatjana Maria of Germany took care of Hungary’s Anna Bondar 6-3, 6-2.
Spaniards Sara Sorribes Tormo and Cristina Bucsa, the third and fourth seeds, both advanced in straight sets, while sixth seed Camila Osorio prevailed on home soil by going 8-for-12 in break points converted against Canada’s Marina Stakusic.
Other winners included Romania’s Anca Todoni, American Hailey Baptiste, Italian Sara Errani and Jule Niemeier of Germany.
No. 1 seed Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic was among those scheduled to play later Tuesday night.
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