Reigning ladies’s champ Liudmila Samsonova started the protection of her 2022 Mubadala Citi DC Open title in dominating vogue Monday.
The WTA world No. 18 made fast work of Danielle Collins, dispatching the University of Virginia alumna 6-1, 6-3 within the first match of the day at Rock Creek Park.
“Danielle is always tough to play against,” the Russian mentioned of Collins, a identified counter-puncher. “I was trying to push on my serve, to be focused on my serve. When she gave the chance on the return, also to push her there. I’m very happy to be solid on that part.”
Seeded eighth right here, Samsonova used final yr’s win as a springboard, selecting up extra wins in Cleveland and Tokyo. A yr later, if there’s any extra strain that comes with that success, she wasn’t about to confess it — although she concedes that defending a title comes with a studying curve.
“I’m trying to manage the situation, to try to learn how to arrive to a tournament as a defending champion, how to manage all the situations,” Samsonova mentioned. “So, for me, it’s everything quite new. I’m trying to do my best to enjoy, to have fun, and to play my best tennis.”
In different early play on Monday, former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu jumped out to a one-set lead and had a number of alternatives to safe a first-round win towards Marta Kostyuk. But the Ukrainian saved three match factors within the third set on her solution to to a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 comeback.
The almost three-hour match noticed Kostyuk name for trainers within the second set, though the excessive temperatures within the higher 80s across the grounds weren’t as oppressive in comparison with the start of final yr’s event.
The climate did trigger one scary second in a males’s match between Yibing Wu and Yosuke Watanuki. After successful a degree to go up 4-1 within the first set on Court 5, Wu grew to become limp and collapsed whereas returning to his chair. He was tended to by trainers and courtroom workers however was pressured to retire from the match. Wu had the same incident earlier this month at Wimbledon however was in a position to return and full that match.
The bulk of the lads’s draw will get occurring Tuesday. After a first-round bye, hometown favourite Frances Tiafoe will play within the first night match towards Aslan Karatsev at 7 p.m. His doubles accomplice this week, No. 4 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, begins his event within the afternoon on John Harris Court towards American Michael Mmoh. The two received their first doubles match, 2-6, 7-6 (9), 10-7, over Chris Eubanks and Sebastian Korda.
At least eight completely different Americans might be in motion on the three major present courts Tuesday, together with Madison Keys, Ben Shelton, and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who obtained a wild card into the ladies’s draw.
Also amongst them is D.C. native Hailey Baptiste, who earned her spot through the qualifying event over the weekend. She will face world No. 23 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic at 4 p.m.
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