Zhang Shuai of China hits a shot in the women's singles match against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan at the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, October 8, 2024. /CFP
Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan beat Zhang Shuai of China 6-4, 6-4 in the women's singles first round match at the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Tuesday.
Putintseva scored two breaks in the first set before leading 5-2. Though Zhang managed to break back and cut her deficit to one game, she couldn't stop the opponent from converting another break point, losing the set.
Putintseva continued her aggressive performance in the second set and began by scoring a break point. She scored on 80 percent of her first serves in the match and clinched the second set with the same score of 6-4. She will face No. 15 seed and 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic of Croatia next.
Wang Xiyu of China hits a shot in the women's singles match against Mira Andreeva of Russia at the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, October 8, 2024. /CFP
Sixteenth-seeded Mira Andreeva of Russia knocked out home player Wang Xiyu 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first round. Wang was resilient enough to save six set points in the first set and dragged it into a tiebreak. However, she failed to turn her advantage into victory in the one-off game, losing the set and trailing in the competition.
The second set was close in the first six games during which both players managed to hold their serves. Nonetheless, Andreeva then took four straight games to end the match. She will play her compatriot Erika Andreeva in the second round.